


That Awkward Moment

by rexlover180



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Bodyswap, High School, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-06 11:18:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 67,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4219722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexlover180/pseuds/rexlover180
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gilbert and Matthew both live fairly normal lives, going day by day to survive high school. One day, they just happen to... bump into each other in front of the Dark Magic Club. Next thing they know, their lives don't belong to themselves anymore, but each other. With Gilbert in Matthew's body and Matthew in Gilbert's things are about to get interesting. PruCan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. When You Kiss A Stranger

Chapter 1. When You Kiss A Stranger.

The constant blaring of the alarm was impossible to ignore, as the sound slammed into his head as he curled tighter into a ball into his nice, soft, comfortable bed. He never wanted to leave. His room was cloaked in darkness around him as that damned alarm continued to pound into his ears. Finally, Matthew gave up with a small groan, fully surfacing his hair from out of his comforter, his hair sprawling out every which way. He slammed his palm into the alarm, glaring at the time that read back to him in bright red letters. It was 6:30 in the morning. Why would anyone voluntarily get up this early?

With a heavy sigh, Matthew detangled himself from his bed and swung his legs over the side, barely reacting in time to avoid stepping on his cat, who raced out from under his bed at his sudden movement. Matthew rolled his eyes as he blearily stood up, looking around this room. Everything was blurry…  
It took him a few seconds to realize that his glasses were still on the nightstand and grumbled to himself as he walked over and swiftly picked them up, placing them on their rightful place on the bridge of his nose as he left his still dark room.

He blinked in surprise at the bright hallway, flooded with the “lovely” morning sun and he grumbled to himself, stumbling to the door right across the hall from him. As per usual, his slammed his fist as hard as he could into the wood, shaking the door with the force of it.

“Al!” Matthew shouted, knowing full well that their parents had already left for work, as usual. “Wake up!” Matthew snapped and he heard a loud thud from the other side of the door. Neither he nor his brother did well with mornings, but Matthew was the only one who could wake up with an alarm clock, as horrifying as it was. “Al! I’m taking a shower first!” He warned his brother, but the door was soon flung open, the force of it making Matthew’s hair fly in his face. He barely got a chance to glimpse at his brother’s face before the boy ran down the hall and slammed the door to their shared bathroom closed. Matthew groaned, throwing his head back.

Just a usual morning.

Matthew grumbled to himself as he marched back to his room, his white cat, Kumajiki, crawling out in to the light of day lazily. With a sigh, Matthew started gathering up the homework he had worked on the night before, shoving it into his backpack. Alfred usually took quick showers and pulled himself together pretty fast, so it would only be a few minutes before Matthew could take a shower, too. He carefully set out his clothes for that day, a pair of jeans, a T-shirt for a band no one had heard of, and his usual bright red sweatshirt to make sure no one saw it. And, of course, his trusty converse that he’d had for three years running now.

He heard Alfred trot along outside the hall and Matthew snuck by him, ignoring the fact that Alfred refused to wear a towel for some stupid reason, and he snuck into the already wet bathroom, turning on the shower again, because Alfred didn’t think to keep it on. As usual.

Matthew glanced at the mirror, grimacing at the deep bags under his eyes, even with his glasses, and his incredibly tangled wheat-blonde hair. Usually, it was very well kept, it was only a problem when he slept because his long hair had a tendency to get tangled. Setting his glasses aside for now, Matthew climbed into the shower, after peeling off his dirty pajamas, and took a quick shower, attacking his tangles viscously with a comb as he did so. By the time he was finished, he could look in the mirror and actually recognize himself and his indigo eyes actually had a bit of their usual shine to them. He brushed his teeth before darting out of the bathroom (with a towel) and ducked into his room. He quickly got dressed before meeting his twin downstairs in the kitchen.

“Don’t you dare,” Matthew snapped, already seeing Alfred with a pan in his hand. Alfred blinked at him innocently with his bright blue eyes and his usual kicked-puppy pout. He and Alfred shared a hair color, but had long-since decided that they would always have a different hairstyle to avoid being confused for each other. So his was cut clean and short. Never any tangles to be found. He never dressed to impress anyone, yet all of the girls would trip over themselves for him. Jeans and a T-shirt for a hero as always, today’s was Captain America (surprise), but the shirts were tight enough to show off the muscles he got from football. Matthew was in a sport, too, but he never really got any of the muscles Alfred had. They were twins, but Alfred just had a better metabolism and grew faster, nearly leaving Matthew in the dust if it weren’t for this summer’s growth spurt.

“What?” Alfred whined. “I just wanted bacon and you were taking so looong.”

“I don’t trust you with anything in this kitchen,” Matthew sighed, taking the pan from his brother. “I’ll make bacon if you want it that badly. And pancakes.”

“We always have pancakes,” Alfred sighed heavily, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest in a pout. “I’m a growing boy, I need variety.”

Matthew sighed heavily. “I’ll let you put chocolate chips in them this time,” Matthew said and Alfred’s interest immediately perked up.

“Do you know what you should do?” Alfred smirked as Matthew started cooking the bacon before pulling out the ingredients to quickly put together some pancakes. They still had some time before getting to school and both boys ate a lot very quickly, so there wouldn’t be any problems. “I saw this thing online where someone baked a piece of bacon into a freaking pancake. You should do that!”

“No,” Matthew said bluntly. “I’d never degrade a pancake like that.”

“Whatever,” Alfred scoffed and left Matthew to work in peace. Finally, once Matthew had three pancakes for each of them on plates and plenty of maple syrup, they sat down at the table and ate quickly. “Oh, Matt,” Alfred said with a mouthful of food, a habit he’d picked up since he was 4. “I’m gonna need the car after school today. After football, there’s this study group for my physics class at the library. That cool?”

Matthew made sure to take the time to swallow. “Sure,” he smiled. “As long as I get it on the weekend. I’ve got a hockey game on Sunday and I need to make sure I’m well prepared for it.”

“Fine,” Alfred muttered. “I’ll just ask someone for a ride to Feli’s party.”

“Perfect,” Matthew smiled. They finished their food, rinsed off their plates, and then ducked out to their car.

* * *

Gilbert stretched happily in his bed, his bright yellow chick, Gilbird, tweeting at him as he moved off of his head. His alarm had gone off at 4:30, as usual, and it felt like a good morning. He quickly stood up, raking his hand through his hair to get out any knots that might have formed, shaking the sleep out of his eyes as he dove for his closet. He got out his usual workout clothes, a black tank and black shorts, and quickly shoved his feet into his shoes.

By the time he left his room, he could already hear the dogs downstairs stirring happily. Gilbert smirked, happy that they weren’t barking this morning, that made his parents even more angry than usual, and he snatched their leashes off their hooks on the wall. He heard his brother’s footsteps come down the stairs once he’d finally gotten the devices on the excited dogs.

“You ready to go, Luddie?” Gilbert smirked, turning to his brother. They looked incredibly different for brothers. Ludwig was strong, obviously well built, and was usually well-kept, except during their work outs. His usually slicked back, blonde hair was hanging loose for now, his cold blue eyes still lightly traced with sleep. He wore clothing similar to Gilbert, though it had been cleaned a bit more than Gilbert’s. Gilbert, on the other hand, was lean. Still muscular, but not quite obvious. His white hair was always ragged, he never really did anything to it, much to the dismay of a certain French friend, and his ruby eyes were more than ready to be awake. He’d actually gotten a fair amount of sleep that night, too. Perfect. Ludwig was younger, but he grew a little bit faster, resulting in a small height difference, but Gilbert was still growing so he didn’t quite care.

“Our run yesterday was a little too long,” Ludwig muttered, taking the leashes of two of the dogs. He never trusted Gilbert with more than one because he usually let go of the leashes after a while to let the dog do what it wanted. “We can go for the shorter route today.”

“Alright, sir,” Gilbert half-heartedly saluted him before opening the door wide for them to make it through with the dogs, and carefully closed the door. He didn’t want to wake his parents, after all.

The morning air was still kind of warm, thankfully, considering it was just early September. The leaves were only just starting to change colors, something Gilbert loved when he went for his runs, watching as the sun rose over the horizon. As usual, he and Ludwig set a pretty fast pace, but the dogs were able to keep up pretty well. They circled around a nearby park before returning home, panting slightly from the exhaustion, and dripping with sweat. It got warm really fast as the sun began to rise.

Ludwig let the dogs into the backyard while Gilbert ran upstairs, into his room, to take a quick shower. He loved having is bathroom connect to his room, never having to worry about sharing it with his brother and all of the product he used to keep his hair slicked back.

In a matter of minutes, Gilbert was ready to go, having thrown on simple skinny jeans and a shirt with the most awesome flag ever, the Prussian Eagle. He climbed down the stairs and took out a few granola bars from the pantry, glancing at the clock. Perfectly on schedule, as always.

“Oi, Luddie, take any longer and we’re gonna miss the bus,” Gilbert called up to him.

“We’ve never missed the bus,” Ludwig shook his head as he came down the stairs. He was dressed modestly, as always, a pair of jeans and a simple shirt with no particular design on it.

“You should really dress up for your boyfriend someday,” Gilbert smirked, tossing a few bars to his brother, who caught them easily.

“Feliciano is nothing of the sort,” Ludwig sighed, walking to the front door.

“Oh, I’m sure he’s not,” Gilbert smirked, following him out the door and to their bus stop.

* * *

After taking the time to park in a spot where their precious car wouldn’t get hit, Alfred and Matthew darted their separate ways. Alfred went to join his usual friends and Matthew immediately went to his locker. He had to be quick, because they were running a little late. He had to get his math binder out and go as his teacher a question before school started. He chose to ignore the usual, strange sounds that came out of the classroom right next to his locker. No classes occurred in that room, apparently it was used for storage for some of the science teachers, one-time experiments and such. Matthew had also heard that it was home to the Dark Magic Club, which housed a single member, one of the weirdest kids in school that never really socialized with anyone. Matthew didn’t know his name, he wasn’t about to get caught up in those crazy rumors, but he still just ignored the room every time he passed it.

He quickly opened his locker, bumped past some of Alfred’s junk that he insisted on keeping in their but never used, and pulled out his math binder. He slammed the door closed and started on his way, all but running to get to his destination on time, but he was quickly cut off when he ran right into someone and they tumbled onto the ground together.

* * *

The bus was late, as usual, not much of a surprise there. And they arrived at school later than usual, also not much of a surprise. While on the bus, Gilbert met up with his friend, Antonio, a transfer from Spain, who came about a year ago and decided to stay for the rest of the school year, he liked the school so much. Their school was what was referred to as an “international” school, where people from all over the country could choose to send their kids for a semester or a year, and it was open to a lot of families that moved in from around the world and hadn’t quite gotten used to American culture yet. And then, of course, the Americans that lived near it went as well, making a nice little melting pot. Gilbert’s heritage was a hundred percent German, but he’d been born and raised in America. Antonio, on the other hand, had grown up in Spain and was living on his own in some apartments the school treated like off-campus dorms while he went to school.

Gilbert and Antonio, when combined with Francis, were kind of like a well-known trio around the school. Francis was from France, his family had moved five years ago to America, and one of the most flirtatious men Gilbert had ever met. But he told Gilbert that he had never flirted with anyone seriously, he was just waiting for the right one to come by. The three of them were known for pulling pranks at any available time or location, and being troublemakers in general. (They were also known for being incredibly good looking, all three of them, but that was for the girls to decide, not Gilbert).

Once the bus finally arrived, Gilbert and Antonio immediately went off to find Francis while Gilbert allowed his brother to stay in the parking lot to wait for Feliciano to arrive with his brother. They were Italians, staying there while their grandfather went on a world-wide business trip, and it was a wonder in itself that they could actually get their car into the parking lot without crashing it.

They met Francis near the band hall, where he was talking to a new exchange student for Seychelles, Michelle, but he deserted her once he saw his friends.

“Mes amis!” Francis smiled happily. “How are you two this morning?”

“Just a regular Tuesday,” Gilbert shrugged.

“I bet you got up at 4:30 again,” Antonio sighed heavily and Gilbert shrugged. “I don’t know how you do it. I need my sleep. I don’t know what I’d do without 10 hours of sleep and my 3 hour siesta.”

“That would be why you are failing most of your classes,” Francis chuckled. “Including Spanish.”

“Hey, I’m trying,” Antonio laughed.

“Hey, Gilbert, didn’t you say something about talking to a teacher this morning?” Francis asked and Gilbert blinked before it actually registered to him.

“Shit,” Gilbert groaned. “I’ll see you guys later.” He had to talk to his English teacher. He got a shit grade on that last essay and his parents were going to kill him unless he could do something about it. He ran off, darting through the hallways that were already starting to get full. He passed by the usual row of lockers, his backpack hitting him as he ran quickly, hoping to catch the teacher in time. He passed by the Dark Magic Club room, laughing slightly to himself. He’d bet that the weirdo in charge was doing some kind of “incantation” of some sort. He wasn’t even looking forward and realized his mistake as he slammed right into some other kid, who was also running, apparently.

They tumbled roughly to the ground, their faces slamming awkwardly together, resulting in their lips meeting for just a fraction of a second. In that second, the unfamiliar words coming from the Dark Magic Club seemed to ring in his ears. Gilbert knew he had fallen on his back, but he felt himself with his hands and knees on the ground, someone beneath him while his vision cleared.

When it did, he was staring into the shocked face of…himself…?


	2. When Your Friends Find Out

Chapter 2. When Your Friends Find Out.

Matthew could have sworn he had fallen forward, yet there he was lying on his back. He clearly remembered the awkward feeling of his face slamming into this stranger's, his lips tingling oddly. He also remembered the words coming from the odd club room right next to them. Matthew looked up in wonder at the person above him…only to find out that the person looked…exactly like him. But it wasn't Alfred. It was…him.

Everything felt…off. The way he felt the ground, the way he saw, the way he heard…everything in general felt weird.

"What the fuck?" the person above him blurted out, Matthew's voice coming out of his mouth.

"You two bloody idiots!" someone shouted and Matthew turned his head and saw a student standing in the doorway of the Dark Magic clubroom. Matthew had vaguely seen him in the hallways before. Shaggy blonde hair that barely covered really dark, fairly large eyebrows, and bright green eyes that were shining, currently, with anger.

"I-I-I'm sorry," Matthew barely managed out and flinched when his voice came out a lot deeper than what he was used to. Even talking felt different. The person above him looked down at him in wonder.

"This was you," the person that looked like Matthew snapped, sanding up, but nearly losing his footing as he did so. He nearly missed placing his hand on a locker to steady himself. He was looking at the boy in the doorway. "What the fuck were you just doing in there?"

"What are you talking about?" the blonde scoffed. Matthew propped himself up on his elbows, unable to even think to stand. The clothes he was wearing definitely weren't the clothes he went to school in. But the person that looked like him was wearing exactly what he dressed in.

"That's me," the person that looked like Matthew pointed at him. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Did you…" the person from the club looked at them with wide eyes. "Get your arses inside," he motioned inside of the clubroom.

"Why?" the person in Matthew's body asked.

"Get inside," the person from the club snapped.

"Fine."

Matthew sighed as he slowly worked at standing up. The world felt a little higher up than he was used to and it was a little hard to balance, but he made it into the clubroom without much of a problem. Inside, it was fairly simple, a basic square room with a fairly large, square table in the center with a few chairs, only one of them seeming like it was used with piles of books in front of it. There was a couch on the right side, taking up the entire wall. There was a whiteboard on the back with a bunch of symbols Matthew didn't understand. He found that his vision was slightly fuzzy, a little like when he wasn't wearing his glasses. The person in the club closed the door roughly behind them and the person that looked like Matthew slumped on the couch.

"Names," the person from the club said. "You're going to have to get to know each other rather well starting now."

"Why?" the person that looked like Matthew asked. "What the fuck is going on?"

"Names."

"I'm Matthew," Matthew offered.

"Gilbert," the other one rolled his eyes. "And you, bushy brows?"

"Oi, keep that attitude up and I just might not help you," the club member snapped. "I'm Arthur, alright?"

"Great, we all know each other," Gilbert scoffed. "Now explain why the hell he looks like me and I'm in a fucking sweatshirt I've never seen before. And glasses? What the hell?"

"I would say that this would be rather hard to explain," Arthur sighed, walking over to the table and slouching into a chair. Matthew walked up to the table curiously, peering at the books, which were in a language he couldn't understand, "but you're proof yourselves, aren't you? Before you imbeciles made that ruckus outside, I was working on this spell-"

"A spell?" Gilbert laughed.

"How else would you care to explain that you two switched bodies?" Arthur snapped and Matthew blinked in surprise. "Something must have happened in the collision, the fact that you two might have touched skin or something like that, and the spell freaked out," Arthur said. "It wasn't meant to do this, but you two cut me off prematurely, it must have done something else."

"Can you fix it?" Matthew asked, still not quite used to his new voice.

"I don't know," Arthur muttered, glaring at the books on the table. "It was a mistake, like I said."

"So I'm stuck in this loser's body until you can figure this out?" Gilbert asked.

"Hey," Matthew muttered, looking at Gilbert, who just shrugged, slouching back into the couch. It was weird seeing himself like this, outside of his mirror, let alone slouching and cursing up a storm.

"How many friends you got, kid?" Gilbert asked.

"Plenty," Matthew replied. "And I'm pretty sure we're the same age."

"Sure," Gilbert snorted. "So, Artie, how long?" Arthur glared at him.

"Don't call me that," Arthur sighed. "I don't know. It could be hours, it could be days, weeks…"

"Excuse me?" Gilbert sat up straight. "Weeks?"

"Are you serious?" Matthew asked. He couldn't do a few weeks. He had hockey practices, games, all of his AP classes…

"I'm not even sure, it might wear off, it might not," Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I have shit to do," Gilbert said. "I can't trust this little nerd to be me, anyway!"

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you can't keep up my perfect nerd image anyway," Matthew said and Gilbert glared at him.

"What, you calling me an idiot?" Gilbert scoffed.

"I'm in four AP classes," Matthew said and Gilbert looked at him like he was crazy.

"We have about five minutes before school starts," Arthur said, interrupting them. "I'd suggest you two at least try to figure out how to figure this out. I'll try…to figure something out for lunch, alright? Just come here before lunch period starts."

"Are you seriously saying I have to go to those AP classes?" Gilbert asked. "I can't do that shit."

"Are you calling yourself an idiot now?" Matthew smirked.

"Figure it out," Arthur sighed. "You two are in each other's bodies for the time being, there's no way around it. If you want to go to your own classes and try to explain yourselves and have the whole school think you're crazy, fine by me. You can join the club. Or you can just play along until I figure it out."

Gilbert sighed fishing inside of his pocket…Matthew's pocket. He pulled out Matthew's phone, offering it to him. Matthew did the same with Gilbert's phone and they swapped. "Your schedule?"

* * *

Gilbert grumbled to himself, rubbing his face and inwardly cursing when those damn glasses pressed into his nose. God, this was why he didn't get glasses in the first place when he learned just how bad his eye sight was. It was interesting to see the world…clearly. There was no way to describe it. He was used to everything looking kinda fuzzy and now it was all clear. And he was shorter now, which was weird. Not by a lot, granted, but it was noticeable. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand that had Matthew's classes written on them. AP Calculus, AP Language, AP French, AP Art? What the hell was this? What kind of kid in their right mind would actually do that to themselves? Gilbert couldn't do these classes, he barely coasted through his average, dumb ass classes.

Gilbert shook his head as he kept walking. He had to…act like Matthew, so he wouldn't be lumped together with the crazies like Arthur. He hadn't seen much of Matthew, but what he saw was a shy kid that didn't even know how to speak up in someone else's body. He fiddled his thumbs unconsciously and didn't like looking people in the eye. So Gilbert just had to act like a shy little nerd and go on with his life. Hopefully Arthur would figure this shit out before long and he could just go on with his life.

He finally reached that stupid math class (who has math first thing in the fucking morning?) and looked at the paper again to figure out where Matthew sat. Matthew made sure they gave each other clear instructions on how to get through their days. He sat in the back. All he had to do was keep his head down and no one was gonna find anything out.

It was only 10 minutes into class when the teacher called on him to answer a problem on the board. Gilbert blinked at the numbers and letters and the…smaller numbers. He chewed on his lower lip.

"Uh…um…" Gilbert muttered, looking down at the desk, at the blank sheet of paper he'd taken out of Matthew's backpack. He was supposed to be doing math or some shit but this all sounded like some crazy language he'd never understand.

"Heh, wonder if we'll be able to hear the answer this time," some kid whispered to his friend right in front of him and Gilbert fought back a glare.

"I don't know," Gilbert sighed. He heard some girls snicker to the left.

"Wonder kid doesn't know the answer?" some whispered and the teacher either had shit hearing or pretended not to notice. He went to another student for the answer. Gilbert clenched his teeth. Deep breaths. Don't get pissed off over a bunch of prissy kids.

Gilbert was about ready to run out of that damn room by the time the bell rang. Next was just a regular history class, nothing AP about it. He could handle that. Again, he was in the back of the room. He wasn't called on this time, but there was some kind of group discussion. More kids laughed among themselves when he didn't say a lot.

* * *

Matthew really didn't like regular classes, his history class was enough for him, thank you very much. But Gilbert's English class? He really didn't like it. No one there wanted to be there, especially not the teacher, and he just wanted to disappear into his seat. But he had to act like Gilbert, like some punk who didn't really care that much. So he slumped forward in his seat, huffing as some white hair filtered into his vision. He still didn't get much of a chance to look in a mirror, but he was pretty sure either Gilbert dyed his hair or he was albino. He wasn't quite sure, but all he knew was that Gilbert really needed glasses or contacts or something. It was hard enough reading those stupid vocab words on the stupid paper without having to read what was on the stupid board.

"Gilbert," the teacher said and Matthew perked up slightly, looking at the teacher. "Do you have an answer for number 8?"

Matthew paused for a moment. Oh, he could think of more impressive words than that stupid vocab word to fill in that sentence. But, then again, he was Gilbert now. Some punk kid that was most likely some kind of class clown half of the time. Matthew couldn't stop the small smile that played on his lips at the mere thought of being able to be _that_ kid in class that made everyone laugh.

It was a really basic sentence. _The girls _ as the animals acted silly in front of them for the carnival._ Glancing at the words that Gilbert hadn't bothered to glance at, the proper word was _chortled_ , but Matthew had to think. He could be clever here, but he couldn't think on it for too long.

"Came?" Matthew shrugged with a small smirk. Multiple guys in the class laughed and the teacher rolled his eyes, as if he didn't expect anything else, writing down the correct answer on the board. This might actually be kinda fun, Matthew realized.

More classes came and went, Matthew was able to, more or less, easily talk to Gilbert's "friends", allowing himself to just…cut loose. He could curse without getting in trouble and, if nothing else, Gilbert would get in trouble, not Matthew. Not like anyone actually cared. Gilbert apparently got himself into enough trouble on his own. And it was really nice being able to say something in class without some kids mocking him for being too quiet. No one really made fun of him, it was…really nice. People laughed at his jokes and it made him feel…at home.

* * *

Once lunch time came around, Gilbert was just about ready to punch somebody. He couldn't make it to the Dark Magic Club fast enough, slamming open the door. Matthew was already there, lounging, very relaxed, on the couch. He had been having a conversation with Arthur, but they went quiet the moment Gilbert stepped in.

"Rough day?" Matthew asked, seeming a lot more comfortable in his skin. Gilbert's skin.

"You just let that bullshit happen to you?" Gilbert snapped. "What the fuck? Stand up to 'em! I'm about damn ready to!"

"Don't!" Matthew stood up, his eyes wide. "Don't. They're stupid kids in high level classes. It's only words, I'm fine. If you get me in trouble, Gilbert, so help me-"

"What? You've got the physique for it," Gilbert scoffed. "Fuck, what sport do you even play?"

"Hockey," Matthew sighed. "I'm fine, it'll be over soon, right Arthur?"

"If it's just words, you're the lucky one," Arthur muttered to himself before looking up at them. "Look, I can't figure this out."

"You can't?" Gilbert snapped. He was stuck in classes he didn't understand for who knew how long, pretending to be some shy little geek?

"It was a mistake, like I said," Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. "It would take a mistake to fix it at this rate, I've been looking through my books."

"I don't even fucking believe in magic, alright?" Gilbert groaned, about ready to punch himself. "The only reason I'm going along with this is because that's the only way I can explain the fact that I'm walking around as someone else!"

"Then you need to believe in my bloody magic to get everything back no normal," Arthur snapped. "I'm trying, alright? More than I can say for you. Have you even stopped cursing to pretend to be Matthew?"

"I don't need this bullshit right now," Gilbert groaned. "I just want to eat my lunch in peace!"

"Let's stop fighting, alright?" Matthew sighed and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"What about you? How have you been doing pretending to be me?" Gilbert scoffed.

"I've been doing well enough to fool everyone that's talked to me," Matthew smirked.

"Well, it's not that hard the other way around because apparently you don't talk much," Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, let's just go to lunch, alright?" Matthew sighed. That was when Gilbert noticed the brown paper bag resting on the table with an apple already beginning to roll out of it.

"You coming to the lunch room, Brows?" Gilbert asked.

"I'd prefer not to," Arthur said simply, staring at his books. "I'll keep trying to find a way to fix this mess, you two can go off and do what you want."

"Fine," Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest. "Get ready, Matt, you haven't even dealt with my best friends yet."

* * *

It took a lot to scare Matthew. Not a lot to make him nervous. But a lot to make him actually scared. Matthew had heard stories of the Trio, but he had never actually heard who was in it. And now he was one of them? No wonder he got away with so much. He and Gilbert bought their lunch together, oddly enough Matthew found himself craving something way different than what he usually bought and Gilbert bought what Matthew would usually want. They told each other where they sat, names of their friends. In Matthew's case, that was just Alfred, who would occasionally bring a friend here and there. In Gilbert's case, it was Francis and Antonio. Seemed like both of their friendship circles were small.

Matthew walked with as much confidence he could muster, which was quite a lot considering he was no longer loser quiet guy Matthew Williams. He found the two people Gilbert described, laughing up a storm, right where Gilbert said they usually sat. Matthew took a deep breath.

"Hey," he said with that usual smile Gilbert used and plopped down beside Francis, Antonio sitting across from them.

"Hola," Antonio nodded with a bright smile. "How's your day been going?"

"Could be better," Matthew shrugged.

"Ah, don't be like that, mon ami," Francis chuckled. "I'm sure it'll get better. Who was that cute boy you were talking to in the food line?"

"No one," Matthew scoffed. "Just some loser."

"Yeah, just a loser?" Antonio smirked slightly, leaning backwards just slightly.

"I thought he was pretty," Francis shrugged and Matthew fought back the small blush on his face.

"Si, and we all know that you're still looking for Mr. or Mrs. Right," Antonio laughed and Matthew laughed with him, only to make it seem more natural. Oh, God, he didn't know what he was doing. Talking with another person's friends was one thing. But best friends? How was he supposed to fool them? It had only been half a day, he didn't know Gilbert well enough to do this that well.

"Oh, right," Francis said, putting down some kind of incredibly fancy, homemade sandwich. "Do you happen to have that $20 dollars you owe me from lunch the other day?"

"Not yet," Matthew shook his head numbly. "I'll get it to ya soon."

"Yeah," Francis laughed. "Right as soon as you tell me you're German instead of Prussian."

"What?" Matthew asked.

"Who the hell are you?" Antonio smiled, leaning closer.

"What?" Matthew repeated himself.

"I don't know how you did this," Francis laughed, shaking his head, "but I find it rather impressive. What's you're actual name, stranger?"

Matthew blinked in surprise at the two. He didn't expect it to be over that quickly. "Matthew," he muttered.

"Really?" Francis asked, his voice and eyes betraying the fact that he was genuinely surprised.

"This…thing happened this morning," Matthew muttered, looking down at his lunch. God, he wanted to eat really badly. "I don't know how to explain it, it had to do with Arthur from the Black Magic Club."

"Where's Gilbert?" Antonio asked.

"You remember that cute boy I was with?" Matthew asked Francis, who started laughing where he sat. Now Matthew allowed himself to blush, just a little bit. Antonio was laughing, too.

"I am going to like you," Francis patted his back as he stood up, stifling himself as he started walking where Matthew could already see Gilbert. Alfred had already figured it out and looked about ready to start yelling. Matthew was quick out of his seat, walking past Francis and Antonio and making a beeline for Gilbert and Alfred.

"Then where the hell is my brother?" Alfred snapped.

"Al, please don't freak out," Matthew blurted out as he stopped in front of his brother, who widened his eyes in surprise. "Gil, you can't hold it together for two seconds?"

"Hey, you struck out with my friends, too," Gilbert protested, pointing at Antonio and Francis, who only just walked up.

"Oh, don't let us stop you, this is getting good," Antonio laughed and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"What the hell is going on?" Alfred asked.

"I don't fucking know either," Gilbert shrugged.

"Hey, don't cuss with my own brother's mouth," Alfred snapped.

"I can cuss whenever I wanna fucking cuss," Gilbert argued back.

"We should go to Arthur, he can explain this," Matthew sighed. "Way better than us, right, Gil?"

"Fine," Gilbert sighed, putting his hands forward in surrender. "Fine. How the hell did they find out, anyway?"

"I told him you owe me $20," Francis smirked.

"Hey, I only owe you 15," Gilbert protested, standing up.

"And that is how you respond," Antonio gestured to Gilbert.

"I'll take note," Matthew sighed.

"Okay, okay, fine, for now I'll believe in this…weird magic hoodoo," Alfred sighed, standing up as well. "Let's get over to that Arthur guy and deal with this shit there."

"I'll bring our food over!" Antonio offered, running over to where they had been.

"Are you really Mattie in there?" Alfred asked Matthew curiously.

"I have no idea how to explain it, either," Matthew shrugged.

"Let's see if Arthur's figured out anything new in the last ten minutes," Gilbert grumbled, already on his way to the clubroom.

"Well, aren't you positive?" Matthew rolled his eyes, following after him with the other three close behind. He hoped Arthur wouldn't mind a few more, uninvited people into his club.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me forever to do, but I finally got it out. Woot, woot. Now we know what happened, it was Arthur's magic gone astray and now he's trying very, very hard to fix it. And Gilbert and Matthew are getting peeks into each other's lives, which is gonna get them incredibly close in the nearish future. And Matthew's got some nice sass to him. I love writing Matthew sass, it makes me happy.
> 
> Anyway, I'm done blabbing on for nothing, so I'll see you all next time!


	3. When You Get To Know A Stranger

Chapter 3. When You Get To Know A Stranger.

Gilbert held the door to the clubroom open with his foot as the others filled in after him. Matthew had gone in first, apparently, to warn Arthur that multiple people were coming.

"How is it that you two can't manage to keep a secret from three people?" Arthur scoffed, standing up from where he sat once Gilbert walked in and closed the door behind him.

"In my defense, this is his twin fucking brother," Gilbert jabbed a thumb at Alfred, who glared at him.

"Don't talk like that in my brother's body," Alfred stated and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"And we are his best friends," Francis shrugged.

"I'm surprised we didn't figure it out the minute he sat down," Antonio smirked and Matthew sighed, sitting on the couch. Alfred sat beside him.

"Look, if you want proof for this," Arthur sighed, apparently assuming that was the only reason they were there, "what proof do you need other than these two idiots in front of you?"

"And this started this morning?" Alfred asked. "When?"

"I was getting something from my locker to talk to my teacher," Matthew sighed.

"And I was running by because I had to talk to a teacher, which I didn't, meaning my parents are gonna rip me a new one tonight," Gilbert groaned. "Well, at this rate, they'll be yelling at you, Mattie."

"Anyway," Matthew muttered, "we ran into each other and Arthur was doing…something."

"A spell," Arthur corrected. "One you two messed up with all of your clattering about!"

"A spell?" Francis laughed. "Magic isn't real."

"Fine, then these two are just pretending," Arthur rolled his eyes, slumping back in his chair. "And you all can leave before you make fun of me even more."

"He didn't mean it," Antonio assured him, leaning forward on the table to look at the books a little closer. "Is that Latin?"

"Yes," Arthur said bluntly.

"You are not much of a conversationalist," Francis mused with a smirk.

"So, what do we do?" Alfred asked. "We can't just let things be like they are. I mean, they've swapped bodies and shit. What now?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Arthur quipped. "It's…difficult, alright?"

"How difficult can it be?" Alfred asked. "Just do what you did last time, right?"

"I would if I knew what the hell I did last time!" Arthur snapped. "Honestly, it was a mistake. I heard a clatter, I messed up a few words. If you want me to try some other random words and make this situation even worse, I'd be more than happy!"

"My, my, quite the temper, you've got," Francis laughed, leaning against the wall with the door and Arthur rolled his eyes, relaxing back into his chair

"I don't have time for this," Arthur shook his head. "Not only do I have this problem to deal with, but I also have my own life to attend to. If you lot wouldn't mind not wasting more of my time, you can leave."

"Seriously," Gilbert sighed, leaning on the table. "How much longer?"

"I don't know," Arthur said pointedly and Gilbert groaned. He couldn't deal with another half of a day of boring, hard classes. On top of that, at this rate, he'd be going home with Matthew's twin brother…

"Let's just give him time, alright?" Matthew offered. "I don't really get this very much, either, but it happened. Let's just…get on with it."

The bell above them rang, signaling the end of lunch period. Gilbert grumbled, glaring at the ceiling, where the annoying sound came from.

"Well, then, I guess I'm done for now," Arthur said, standing up and slamming his large book closed. "Stiff upper lip, let's go."

"You can figure this out by, like, tomorrow, right?" Gilbert asked him as Arthur brushed past him, slinging his backpack over a shoulder.

"The more you pressure me, the less inclined I feel to help you," Arthur sighed, glancing back at him. "I'm only helping you now because I feel like this is my fault, I can stop anytime I like."

"Fine, fine, I get ya," Gilbert muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. It was weird wearing baggy jeans, he usually wore tighter jeans, which Matthew seemed to get comfortable in quite quickly. It was really nice having so much space to breathe, though. And the sweatshirt was nice and warm all the time, even in the really cold classrooms…He might not mind this…but…He looked over at Matthew, who was talking to Alfred as the two left the clubroom and into the busy hallway. Matthew didn't quite look comfortable in his new skin and he kept bumping into things on accident. It was…kinda funny.

Gilbert was about to walk down the hall to the next room Matthew had written down on that paper, but his two friends gripped harshly onto his arms and pulled him a little down the hall in the right direction.

"What?" Gilbert groaned, turning to face his friends once they let go. Antonio had a smirk playing on his face while Francis had this pure, happy smile on his face. "Don't tell me."

"Oui, it is very weird for me to come to terms with it as well," Francis nodded, laughing slightly.

"Arthur?" Gilbert scoffed. "Just checking to make sure you're not falling for the jock or the quiet nobody. You're just going for the bat shit crazy one with a temper."

"Maybe," Francis shrugged with a smile.

"You just weren't paying close enough attention in there," Antonio nodded. "I saw it. This might actually get serious."

"Why him?" Gilbert asked. "You met him for, what, five fucking minutes?"

"I don't know," Francis hummed. "It might have something to do with the fact that he just doesn't seem to care, about what anyone thinks. It's a little rare to find that. And he is rather attractive…"

"I'm sure, hidden underneath those massive eyebrows," Gilbert rolled his eyes. The warning bell rang above them. "Whatever, I'm gonna head over to the bookworm's class, I'm sure he'd cry if I was late and he got a tardy mark."

"Of course," Antonio smirked. "It would be just terrible to hurt his feelings."

"Don't fucking start," Gilbert rolled his eyes, walking away. "I'm not like Francis, for one. I don't fall head over heels for a dude I just met!"

"We'll find out, won't we?" Francis smirked and Gilbert grumbled to himself, walking down the hall and towards the next class. Art. Fan-fucking-tastic.

* * *

Matthew was almost startled when his last class of the day happened to be with Gilbert's two best friends, who were, apparently, anxiously awaiting his arrival at the back of the room.

"Uh, hi," Matthew muttered as Antonio and Francis all but dragged him into a chair.

"It's Matthew, si?" Antonio asked and Matthew nodded.

"Quick question, before we get started," Francis said, "do you know anything about that Arthur?"

Matthew shook his head. "I only met him this morning."

"Fine," Antonio continued and Matthew blinked in confusion. These new people in his life were really hard to understand. "Anyway, we're here to help you out, amigo."

"Help with what?" Matthew asked. The teacher had started talking, but it seemed like no one in that class had bothered to notice.

"Well, you have to go home as Gilbert, oui?" Francis asked. "And we cannot allow Gilbert's family to think he is crazy and send you off to some dreadful place to make you feel better. So, we are going to give you some tips on being Gilbert."

"You've been doing alright so far, I mean, no one's thought you were someone different yet," Antonio mused. "Which shows us that you're already a good actor."

"You're going to coach me on how to be Gilbert?" Matthew echoed, just to make sure he was assuming correctly here. He hadn't put much thought into going to Gilbert's house that night. He didn't know anything about Gilbert's home life or what he did, when they had dinner, what time he usually slept, got up. He had to act and make it seem like nothing was wrong…

"Don't worry, he's fairly simple minded," Francis assured him. "That boorish brute couldn't even manage it himself if he was deep."

"Are you sure you guys are friends?" Matthew asked.

"Best friends!" Antonio chimed and the teacher attempted to shush them, but those two just waved her off. "Only close friends can be blunt like that."

"Right," Matthew nodded slowly.

"What, do you not have many friends or something?" Antonio asked and Francis swatted the back of his head.

"Do not assume things like that," Francis muttered. "Besides, a cutie like Mathieu? He probably has multiple friends."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Matthew muttered, flicking at some eraser scraps left on the desk.

"First things first about being Gilbert," Antonio smirked, forcing eye contact with Matthew, "unless you're already really close with him, he doesn't talk to anyone without direct eye contact."

"Or it's his parents," Francis corrected. "They're going to be very angry when you get home, so also know that Gilbert fights back, especially when it comes to his grades. He tries his best. All the time."

"Okay," Matthew nodded, taking mental notes of this information given to him. He never would have expected he'd be getting this close to a person he'd only met this morning. He just hoped that Alfred and Gilbert could get along well enough to survive the night once they got home. That reminded Matthew. He pulled out his phone really quick, knowing that this teacher was beyond caring at this point, and texted Gilbert.

* * *

Gilbert growled to himself from where he sat on those stupid metal stands, the midday sun not quite subsiding yet. He glared at the stupid field where the stupid football team was having their stupid practice. He pulled out his phone and glared at the stupid text message that had been sent to him the last period of the day. From Matthew.

_Alfred has the keys to our car, you're not allowed to drive it. He also has the keys to the house, so wait until football practice is over and he'll take you home._

Not allowed to drive the damn car? Not allowed? What the hell was that? And Antonio had assured him that he'd help Matthew with figuring out the bus and getting home that way. But now Gilbert had access to a car, and a license, and he wasn't "allowed" to use it? This was so fucking stupid.

"You know, you could at least try doing some of Mathieu's homework," Francis offered beside him. At least one of his friends had stayed with him. Francis had a car, so he could leave whenever he wanted to.

"American football is stupid," Gilbert grumbled, looking at Francis. "And AP homework is even more stupid. Do you know what the fuck they expect me to do in one night? There's no way in hell I'm doing that. Besides, we already swapped homework for the night."

"Ah, but this is not your homework, mon ami," Francis corrected him. "This is Mathieu's. He wants to do well in school, so at least respect his wishes. Are you even trying in his classes?"

"Yeah, and I'm not fucking smart enough to handle this bullshit," Gilbert scoffed. "AP Calculus? It doesn't even fucking make sense to me. And his fucking English class? Don't even get me started. Plus he's in AP fucking French. I don't even speak French at all!"

"Oui, you're taking Spanish, I forgot," Francis mused. Gilbert grumbled again to himself. He wanted to learn German, but this school didn't even fucking offer it. International school his ass. "He is in AP French?"

"Yeah, you two can get along perfectly well," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "He's also in AP Art for some stupid fucking reason."

"Which art class?" Francis asked.

"I think it was Jewelry," Gilbert sighed. He didn't pay much attention in that class and almost fell asleep, resulting in the teacher worrying over him…Matthew…for a few minutes. Gilbert had to assure her that he was perfectly fine.

"Your unlikely friend is quickly becoming quite the catch," Francis laughed and Gilbert rolled his eyes. It was kinda funny, the way he talked about people like Matthew or the hot girls in the hallway all the guys want to date…and then the way he talked about Arthur, for whatever weird reason. They were entirely different. Maybe he really did find someone he was at least interested in.

"Maybe for you," Gilbert groaned, leaning back slightly and laughing as he saw Alfred, at least he thought that brainless idiot with a helmet was Alfred, get tackled to the ground. "To me, he's just some quiet nerd that I can't wait to forget when all of this is over."

"The way I see it," Francis said, "you two are being forced to get close to each other. In order to fool Mathieu's parents so that they don't think you and Alfred are crazy, you need to know how to act like him and understand his life. He's doing the same for you. Who knows, maybe it will be rather hard to forget him."

"Well, I know I'll at least have nightmares about his damn classes for years," Gilbert sighed and stood up as the practice finally broke up. Now he just had to wait for Alfred to shower or whatever the hell he usually did after practice and he could at least go to someone's house and relax.

Gilbert narrowed his eyes when he saw someone familiar take off his helmet. The familiar silvery hair and those damn creepy purple eyes and the usual dopey smile on his face. Gilbert growled and slowly made his way down the steps.

"Don't act like that just because you saw a former enemy," Francis chuckled.

"Please," Gilbert scoffed. "I'm not that fucking shallow."

"Matvey," the teenager, Ivan, called to them and Gilbert all but froze. You have got to be joking. Matthew was friends with that creepy ass…Gilbert took a deep breath. He had to be Matthew. The stupid, too sweet for his own good, nerdy, quiet Matthew. "You do not usually stay for practice, da?" Gilbert inwardly shivered. He hated Russians.

"Uh, yeah, Alfred's just got the keys to the car, so I waited up," Gilbert muttered, only just loud enough for Ivan to hear as he made his way to the ground from the stands.

"Ah, well, it was nice to see you," Ivan smiled, seemingly innocent, but Gilbert knew better than that. Ivan followed Alfred and the rest of the team to the locker rooms.

"Damn, I hate that guy," Gilbert sighed.

"And yet it appears Mathieu is friends with him," Francis laughed. "I can't wait to see how this will turn out."

"If we're lucky, this is gonna end tomorrow and I won't have to deal with all of this bullshit for much longer," Gilbert grumbled. Francis just laughed.

"I wish you luck tonight," Francis patted his shoulder as Alfred ran out of the locker room, obviously not showered, his backpack and sports bag slung over his shoulder. "I believe you are going to need it."

"Fuck my life," Gilbert grumbled as Francis walked away and he walked up to Alfred. At least Gilbert had some comfort in knowing that, even though he was living Matthew's life for a little while, Matthew was living his. He could look forward to at least one night of peace and quiet, where his parents didn't yell at him or compare him to his brother. He was greeted by Alfred's sweat smell in just a matter of seconds. "You finally ready to go?"

"Aw, and here I hurried up just for you," Alfred said cheekily.

"I wouldn't have cared if you had taken a fucking shower like everyone else," Gilbert muttered.

"Eh, they were all taken anyway," Alfred shrugged and started walking to the parking lot. "Those losers always get there first, even Ivan, who got in there after me, for crying out loud. At this point, I just wanna go home and sleep or something."

"Yeah, sure," Gilbert sighed.

"Okay, how about we try getting along, just for the sake of this stupid situation," Alfred offered. "I mean, we're technically brothers now, right?" Gilbert just looked at him. "Come on, let's get to know each other a bit. What are your hobbies?"

"Fine, I'll play along," Gilbert said. "I like listening to music, I've got three dogs back at home, and I run."

"Cool," Alfred nodded. "I consider myself a dog person, too. But my parents won't let me because Matt's already got his cat."

"He has a cat?" Gilbert asked. Should've pegged the kid as a cat lover.

"Yeah, he can't ever remember the name himself, it's Kuma-something or other," Alfred shrugged and, finally, pulled out his keys once they walked up to a car and opened up the backseat to throw his bag in. Gilbert stopped dead in his tracks as he stared at the vehicle in front of him.

"Are you fucking serious?" Gilbert asked. It was a mustang, an old one, probably from the 70s or something, and showed off a sleek, blue coat, like it was almost brand new.

"You like it?" Alfred smirked proudly, leaning against the body as he shut the door. "Matt and I fixed it up over the summer, it's so kick-ass."

"Now I understand why he didn't want me to drive," Gilbert muttered, going over to the passenger side. If Gilbert owned this car, he'd only let himself drive it, only trust himself not to crash it. Damn, it was pretty. There were black leather seats inside, too.

"I'm not letting you touch it, either," Alfred said clearly. "The only reason you're getting in is because you need a ride."

"What happened to getting along?" Gilbert smirked.

"I wouldn't even let my crush in here, okay?" Alfred said before climbing into the driver's side. Gilbert got in as well, tossing his bag into the backseat along Alfred's stuff. He was almost surprised to find that the gearbox was a stick shift. Damn, these two idiots knew how to drive stick?

"Your crush, huh?" Gilbert smirked and Alfred blinked, apparently only just realizing what he'd said.

"Not important," he said, using the key to easily start up the car. "Forget I said anything."

"And this crush would be…?" Gilbert pressed.

"You may be in my brother's body, but that definitely doesn't mean that I'm sharing all the shit I share with him with you," Alfred rolled his eyes before backing out of the space and setting off on his way.

* * *

Matthew had never ridden on a school bus before. It was strange. Antonio sat with him in the back, coaching him through what he knew of Gilbert's life to help him through the rest of the night. Matthew could identify Gilbert's brother, who seemed oddly very different from Gilbert, and he was prepared for "cranky" parents, as Antonio had put it. Matthew sighed as he held onto Gilbert's backpack. They'd managed to spend a few minutes after school swapping what they needed for homework. Matthew certainly wasn't doing any of Gilbert's and definitely didn't trust the other teen to do his homework well enough on his own.

The part that nearly made him sick, however, was the fact that Gilbert, apparently, woke up at…4:30…in the morning. To go for a run. How could anyone do that to themselves? It sent a shiver down Matthew's spine.

The bus stopped and Ludwig stood up and Matthew sighed. Time to get this over with. Gilbert was apparently known by his parents to shut himself in his room most of the night, so he could just do that and work on homework, no problem. He followed a few other students off the bus as well. Ludwig waited for him just long enough for him to step off of the bus before walking off. Matthew followed after him. He had to act like Gilbert…he had to use some of the tips Gilbert's friends had given him.

He caught up with Gilbert's brother easily, smirking as he did so.

"So, how was your day, Luddie?" he asked, allowing himself to slip into the role of Gilbert again. Antonio had told him that that was one of Gilbert's favorite nicknames for Ludwig.

"It was fine," Ludwig nodded, his voice really deep. Matthew had to swallow down his small panic. Ludwig was very tall, muscular, intimidating…Matthew normally didn't do well with strangers and he did worse when they were taller than him. Gilbert was already taller than him, too…

"Awesome," Matthew sighed, lacing his hands behind his head as he continued to walk. He had to think of something to say, Gilbert didn't like long stretches of silence. Thankfully, Ludwig started another conversation before him.

"So, where did you go in such a rush during lunch?" Ludwig asked. "Wasn't that Alfred from the football team?"

"Yeah," Matthew shrugged, dropping his hands. "Toni said he wanted to talk to him about that party at Feli's this weekend." An easy lie. Antonio didn't even know Alfred, but Ludwig probably didn't know that, so everything was fine. Meanwhile, Matthew was trying not to freak out. He didn't have anyone to help him through anything now, he was on his own and he couldn't make it look like Gilbert was crazy. Ludwig just nodded in understanding. Well, they got on the subject of Feliciano, and Antonio and Francis had said was a big conversation starter for Ludwig. Gilbert apparently thought that the younger student was adorable, which Matthew never would have expected, and Ludwig apparently had…something going on with him. Matthew didn't quite understand it. "How was your usual lunch with Feli, anyway?"

"I don't usually eat with him," Ludwig said gruffly. "Lovino joined us."

Matthew snorted, continuing his act. He'd been told a few things about Lovino, from other people than just Francis and Antonio. He just had to remember to act like Gilbert probably would. "I bet he tried to throw another potato at you." A strange story he'd heard on the bus ride over. One of many.

"Not…exactly," Ludwig sighed.

"Mashed potatoes?" Matthew offered and Ludwig actually chuckled, shaking his head. Matthew just laughed, like Gilbert's usual laugh, hopefully.

"He said that it was my fault the school food is…shit, as he put it, and I am why he usually brings his own food," Ludwig shook his head.

"You know, I'm not hearing that he didn't throw mashed potatoes at your face," Matthew snickered. Ludwig rolled his eyes and started up towards a fairly large house. Ludwig used his keys to unlock it and Matthew was thankful for that. That was one thing he forgot to get from Gilbert earlier that day. It was hard enough to remember everything they needed to live each other's lives. Once inside, Matthew heard dogs barking. If he remembered correctly, they were Berlitz, Aster, and Blackie. It was a lot to remember, and he hoped he could remember them. He almost stumbled backwards when a Golden Retriever ran for him and practically jumped on him.

Matthew was definitely more of a cat person.

The German Shepard and Doberman seemed perfectly happy greeting Ludwig, who gave a soft, genuine smile as he petted them. Matthew smiled a little bit, too. But he had to remember what he knew from Antonio that it took a while for Gilbert's parents to get home and then a bit longer for dinner. So he just had to be calm and stay in Gilbert's room, where he was least likely to be found out.

"You'll know where to find me for dinner," Matthew sighed and decided to go up the stairs. As long as he was alone, no one would find it weird that he had to actually test each door to figure out the layout of this house. It only took two tries for him to figure out which room was Gilbert's. It was fairly well-kept, which was a little surprising. The thing that tipped Matthew off was the clothes in the closet like skinny jeans and shirts like the one he had on in that moment, which the other room definitely didn't have. Even Gilbert's desk was orderly with a few games and papers stacked on it. What definitely surprised Matthew the most, however, was the bird cage. Just as he closed the door, a yellow chick flew right up to him, plopping down in his hair.

Why the hell hadn't he been warned about this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, Canada! And also Hong Kong, I just learned this recently. Anyway, I've been busy and a slow writer recently so I don't have any individual, special thing for Canada Day, aside from another chapter of this story! The same will probably go for America.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter was going to go over some more stuff, but it was going a lot slower than I thought it would, damn. Anyway, they're now at each other's houses. Matthew, a normally shy, quiet person, has to not only act like Gilbert, but do it around someone intimidating like Ludwig. Pretty hard for him. And Gilbert has help with Alfred while Matthew doesn't, so it'll be a little harder for him. Anyway, next time more stuff will hopefully be happening. A lot of this chapter was hinting at things that will matter in the future (like Alfred's crush), so it is kinda important…
> 
> Anyway, see ya guys next time!


	4. When You Meet The Family

Chapter 4. When You Meet The Family.

"I hate you," Gilbert glared at the white, fluffy cat that was sharing a bed with him, for some stupid, apparent reason. At first, the cat had rubbed against his legs and loved him, but the second Gilbert kicked it away, the cat seemed to be able to tell that he wasn't Matthew. He'd already clawed his arm and bitten his hand. The cat simply swished its tail from where it sat and Gilbert glared even harder.

He wasn't quite sure how he felt about Matthew's room. As neat of a guy as he seemed to be, he had clothes scattered on the floor and his desk was a disorganized array of papers and other various objects that didn't look like they'd been touched in a long time. Gilbert prided himself in how clean he usually kept his room, unlike most teenagers. It also bugged him that he had to share a bathroom with Alfred. Said bathroom had their hair brushes and toothbrushes and other various things already laid out and making a mess. He could be doing his homework, but instead he found himself on his phone, half of the time glaring at that damn cat, just wasting time.

Finally, it was time for dinner and, as Gilbert went down the stairs he felt…strangely disappointed that it wasn't pancakes. Why the hell did he want pancakes so bad? Just the thought of the cooked batter drizzled with maple syrup made him practically drool. But there was just pasta waiting for him in the kitchen. Being in someone else's body was really weird.

Oddly enough, Alfred was downstairs, but not the parents.

"We don't normally sit down for a big dinner," Alfred shrugged after seeing Gilbert's confusion.

"Fine," Gilbert shrugged. Made it easier now that he didn't have to deal with Matthew's parents.

"Unless you feel like having a nice dinner to get to know each other," Alfred shrugged. "Since we might have this problem for a while."

"Anything's better than dealing with that fucking cat," Gilbert sighed, shaking his head as he collected his food. Oddly enough, he actually felt a lot hungrier than he usually was.

"So, has Matt started talking to you about hockey yet?" Alfred asked and they both sat down at the table.

"No, why?" Gilbert asked.

"Guess he's really banking on this not taking a while," Alfred laughed. "He's totally fucking crazy for hockey. Don't even start that conversation unless you're ready for a fight. I've never seen someone as scary as Matthew when you piss him off about hockey."

"And this matters to me why?" Gilbert asked. He tried some of the food and it wasn't bad. Not as good as when Feli came over and made pasta, but not bad.

"Mattie's got a match coming up this weekend," Alfred said. "And if you guys can't figure out your shit, then you've gotta play for him."

"I don't know anything about hockey," Gilbert scoffed and Alfred just laughed.

"When he's done with you, you'll be an expert," Alfred smirked.

"How about he just doesn't play, why can't he call in sick?" Gilbert asked.

"Mattie's never missed a single day," Alfred said. "He's not about to stop just for you."

"Fine," Gilbert shrugged. "It's not like it's that hard, anyway."

Alfred just laughed and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Dude, I tired going against him once, just for fun," Alfred could barely stop laughing. "He kicked my ass so hard, I was sore for days. That wasn't even serious, that was for _fun_."

"Are we talking about the same person here?" Gilbert asked. "The shy nerd that can't even speak up in class?"

"You should hear how loud he can be in the rink when the ref makes a bad call," Alfred laughed, almost nostalgically, but also slightly scared.

"I'm sure," Gilbert scoffed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Alfred smirked, continuing on eating his surprisingly large pile of pasta. Gilbert just shook his head.

"I'm just shaking in fear," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "What else should I know about this kid, anyway?"

"What do ya wanna know?" Alfred asked. "I mean, I don't even know the name of that damn cat. There's not really a lot you've gotta worry about…Oh, yeah, be careful when you brush your hair."

"Why?" Gilbert asked.

"Just be careful and you won't have to know why," Alfred smirked.

"Fine, then," Gilbert sighed, leaning back after he finally finished his food after a long, awkward stretch of silence. He really didn't like long silences. "So, let's be all cheesy and get to know each other, that sound fun? You got to know me on the car ride over here."

"Way fun," Alfred laughed slightly. "I dunno, I like comics and superheroes. And football, but I guess that was obvious. I like history, too,"

"History?" Gilbert asked. "Never pegged you as a history nerd."

"Nah, I just think it's interesting," Alfred shrugged. "Like, in my history class, we're going over what lead to the American Revolution and I think it's so cool! There's gotta be some class you're interested in, too."

"I'm just getting through high school," Gilbert shrugged. "I'm more interested in shit they don't teach you, real life skills. Fixing shit and figuring out how it works. Like your car, that's pretty awesome."

"So, what, you wanna be a mechanic or something?" Alfred asked.

"Maybe," Gilbert shrugged. "Who knows? My little bro's the one that's around to impress my parents by being a doctor or something. I'm free to do whatever the hell I want."

"And what if you feel like being a doctor or something?" Alfred asked. "Why can't you do that?"

"I'm not smart enough for that bullshit," Gilbert said.

"It's really weird seeing and hearing my brother say that," Alfred laughed, shaking his head. "He's way smarter than me, bro, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to be a rocket engineer."

"Yeah, and what about him?" Gilbert asked curiously. "What does Mr. AP want to do with his life?"

"Last I checked, he wanted to work for a zoo or something," Alfred shrugged. "Like, improve the conditions for the animals and make them happy. He loves animals. For a while, he wanted to be an elementary school teacher, but he usually doesn't stay on one idea for very long."

"It's always the smart kids that can't figure out what they want to do," Gilbert sighed, leaning forward on the table. "It's so disappointing."

"Whatever," Alfred snorted, standing up. "Go ahead and wash off your plate. Oh, and I'd suggest not kicking the cat out of your room tonight. If he doesn't sleep in Matt's room, he'll puke on the couch."

"Are you serious? I'm not sleeping with a fucking cat," Gilbert shook his head.

"Then at least leave out your shoes so he'll puke there instead," Alfred patted his back before jogging up the stairs.

Gilbert let out a sigh. On the bright side, he didn't have to deal with his parents for once. That was kinda nice. He just had to deal with that damn cat.

* * *

Matthew didn't enjoy dinner. Usually his dinners with his family were peaceful and nice. But this? Definitely not fun, or nice. Gilbert was supposed to talk to some teacher about an assignment and didn't, leaving him with a bad grade. His parents apparently felt like that gave them license to yell at him. Matthew just looked down at the food in front of him, some kind of German dish that was actually pretty good. It just sucked that his appetite was pretty much gone now.

"Why can't you just be more like your brother?" Gilbert's mother scoffed.

"I'm going upstairs," Matthew sighed, standing up. He didn't even care to listen to anything else Gilbert's family had to say as he went right upstairs. He'd heard enough about how Gilbert didn't "care enough" and how he should "try harder", but being compared to his brother? That was ridiculous. Matthew and Alfred were different yet equal enough to not be compared often, but there were times when his parents said how Matthew should try being louder like Alfred or more outgoing like Alfred, but that was it. And they never said it like Gilbert's parents.

He sighed heavily as he shut the door to Gilbert's room, that little chick flying up to him and tweeting before landing on his shoulder and playfully nuzzling him. Matthew smiled at him.

"Thanks," Matthew smiled slightly before slumping at the desk, where he'd left his homework. Gilbert hadn't taken any notes in any of his classes, as expected, so it was a little difficult to figure some stuff out. He looked up some of the math notes on the teacher's website, working patiently to hopefully figure out what he was supposed to have learned that day.

After a while, there was a patient knock at the door. Matthew quickly hid his homework, watching as the chick decided to simply sit on the desk. Matthew stood up and walked up to the door, opening it carefully. It was Ludwig and he seemed a bit…troubled.

"Yeah?" Matthew asked him, opening the door. Antonio had told him that Ludwig and Gilbert were close, even with the small age gap (Ludwig was a year younger) so Matthew figured Gilbert would at least talk to Ludwig after something like that happened.

"I'm sorry," Ludwig sighed.

"It's nothing," Matthew shrugged. He nodded inside, an invitation that Ludwig took surprisingly easily. Like it was a usual occurrence. Ludwig sat on the bed and one of the dogs, Berlitz, made it in before Matthew closed the door. The bird tweeted and flew to greet Ludwig, barely making it past Berlitz, who seemed to think he was a toy.

"Hello, Gilbird," Ludwig said after the bird flew away from him and landed in Matthew's hair…Gilbert's hair. So, that was the bird's name. That was actually kinda funny. Matthew had to plaster back on his mask as Gilbert for now, so he reached for the rolling chair at the desk and sat with the back of the chair between his legs. He leaned forward on the back, not quite sure what to say first.

"So," Matthew sighed. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Ludwig shrugged. "Aside from Lovino during lunch, it was fairly nice. Feliciano and Kiku had worked together in their ceramics class to make a large project and showed it to me."

"Yeah, what was it?" Matthew asked. Sure, Ludwig kind of intimidated him a little bit at first. But since he was playing the role of Gilbert and he realized Ludwig actually wasn't that scary, he'd stopped being intimidated.

"The project was to make a cake," Ludwig shrugged. "So they made each layer to fit one of us three. It was Feliciano's idea."

"Heh, that sounds kinda cute," Matthew smirked. "What'd they put on your layer?"

"It was the bottom of three," Ludwig said. "They glazed it with the German flag colors along with some wurst." Matthew didn't even have to pretend to laugh, but it did take him a few seconds to remember to laugh like Gilbert would. Ludwig just looked at him as he calmed down.

"Oh, come on, that's fucking hilarious!" Matthew continued laughing. Ludwig rolled his eyes.

"There's a reason why I don't tell you a lot about what I do," Ludwig said and Matthew just smirked. This was at least familiar to him. Talking to a brother, it was really quite nice.

"Don't be like that, Luddie," Matthew laughed.

"Anything exciting happen to you?" Ludwig asked.

"Nah," Matthew shrugged. "Just a regular Tuesday."

"Fine, then," Ludwig sighed, standing up. "I should get back to my homework, you should do the same."

"Right," Matthew gave a quick smile. Berlitz happily swished his tail, looking up at Ludwig expectantly as the teen walked to the door. "Good night, Luddie."

"Good night, Gilbert," Ludwig said. It was kinda difficult to get used to being called by someone else's name. He left the room and Matthew let out a sigh, turning his attention back to his previously stored homework. Then, his phone vibrated, boasting the fact that it received a text. Matthew examined it. It was from Gilbert.

_im about ready to punch ur fucking cat_

Matthew frowned. _Don't hurt Kumajiri_ , he typed back. Gilbird tweeted, standing on the desk and looking up at Matthew.

_do u know how many times hes bitten me_ Gilbert responded.

_Maybe he can just tell that you're not me_. Matthew laughed. He waited a moment before responding again. _So help me if you do anything to that cat, I'll put your bird back in his cage._

_you wouldn't dare_ Gilbert responded.

_Try me. Why didn't anyone tell me about your pet bird?_

_they dont know_ Gilbert responded. _and they arent gonna kay_

_Why? Embarrassed?_ Matthew smirked.

_no shut up_ Matthew couldn't help but laugh. Gilbert sent another message. _no one found out right_

_No, not even Ludwig or your little bird._ Matthew sighed as he leaned back in the chair. For some, really strange reason, he was craving some beer. He had no idea why.

_awesome_ , it took a second for another text to come in. _do you always fucking crave pancakes_

_Well, not recently._ Matthew replied. _Right now I've been craving beer._ That was kind of interesting, in itself. Gilbert was craving what Matthew usually was and maybe Gilbert might crave beer as well. That was something interesting about switching bodies with someone.

_then go the kitchen and get some_

_Really?_

_my parents are german weve got beer dude_

_But we're both too young to drink_

_its one fucking beer ur not gonna get drunk_

Matthew was…honestly very tempted. He'd had beer before, his father had given it to him once on his birthday, but he didn't particularly enjoy it. Right now, though, it seemed like a good idea to get a drink. Like, a really good idea. As good of an idea as pancakes in the morning…

_Right before bed?_ Matthew still wasn't quite sure about this.

_go get a fucking drink_ Matthew almost laughed. He could practically hear Gilbert there with him yelling at him for being scared. Whatever.

_Fine_. Matthew sighed as he stood up, Gilbird looking at him curiously. He went to go get a beer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I don't normally like doing OCs in fanfics, especially as parents. That's why they're either not there or barely there. Anyway, I still suck at Ludwig, but what else is new? I'm trying, but whatever. Anyway, texting his hard for me to write, especially when I have to think about how each character would text. These chapters take forever for me to do, but luckily I have nothing else going on in my life so everything is fine.
> 
> And happy July 4th everyone! I totally didn't expect this chapter to be the one put up, but I was able to barely reference the American Revolution. Look at me go!
> 
> Anyway, I'm done blabbing, so I'll see y'all next time!


	5. When People Want To Be Friends

Chapter 5. When People Want To Be Friends.

Matthew nearly screamed when the alarm went off on his phone. He really didn't want to get up. He glared at the time on the clock. He felt so confused, it seemed like his body was more than ready to get up and moving, but his mind just wanted to go back to sleep. His eyes didn't even feel like they needed to close again and he felt more than ready to get up. But he really didn't want to.

He groaned slightly as he got up, glaring at everything in the room. Even Gilbird was happy to see him awake, tweeting away at him. Matthew waved his hand at the bird to get him to go away. He glanced at the closet blearily, seeing something he could easily work out in. He had to go on a run with Ludwig and the dogs like Gilbert usually did. Drowsily, Matthew got up and swiftly got dressed, sighing slightly at the fact that he really wanted to go to sleep again.

He stumbled into some clothes, his body feeling about ready to work out but his mind in absolutely no mood to do so. He left the room, carelessly putting on shoes after everything else seemed fairly well put in place. He went down the stairs to see Ludwig already with the dogs, putting leashes on their collars. Matthew plastered on a smile that made it seem like he was more awake than he really was.

"Morning, Lud," Matthew nodded to him.

"You usually come down before me," Ludwig noted. "Did you not sleep well?"

"Eh, it was alright," Matthew shrugged. "You ready to get going?"

Ludwig nodded. "You take Blackie," he offered the leash to Matthew, who gladly took it. Matthew steeled himself for mass discomfort as they started towards the front door. As soon as Matthew closed the door, they started running. Gilbert was used to this so his body reacted to it fine. They ran through the neighborhood and Matthew actually found it…kind of nice. The run woke him up a bit and, even though he was up before the sun and that was…horrifying, it was kind of nice. Both of them were quiet and hardly anyone else was out. It was a good chance to just kind of think, clear his head.

It seemed like the run ended far too soon.

They made it back inside and Matthew was able to take full use of Gilbert's private bathroom, happily taking his own time, considering there was plenty of time before they had to leave for the bus. He dressed in something similar to what Gilbert had worn the day before and shoved all of his homework in Gilbert's backpack. Again, Ludwig was downstairs before him and holding out a few granola bars for him.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Ludwig asked. "You're usually down before me."

"Don't worry," Matthew shrugged. "I'm totally fine. Now let's head out before we miss the bus."

"We've never missed the bus," Ludwig shook his head, but smiled like it was some kind of joke, so Matthew figured everything was fine. They left the house together to get to the bus stop. It was nice to see Antonio, who actually knew their little secret once on the bus.

* * *

Gilbert was up early. He couldn't help it. He felt like he needed to run. So he woke up at 4:30, as usual, but Matthew's body protested that heavily. Still, he forced himself into some kind of workout clothes and went for a run. It was kind of lonely without Ludwig or the dogs, but it wasn't like he was going to bring that cat anywhere with him. Like it could even run, the fat ass…

Regardless, Gilbert was done running and getting ready even before he had to wake up Alfred, a personal record for him. The coolest part was the fact that their parents had left by the time he came back from his run. They worked hard, apparently. While he sat in Matthew's room, vainly attempting to focus on some of his homework, that damn cat decided it liked him that day and was rubbing his side on Gilbert's leg every two seconds. Even after Gilbert kicked it away. Five times.

Gilbert glanced at the clock and resigned, leaning down to pick up the damn thing. It made a sound of discomfort, but that was fine because it was in his lap in a matter of seconds. It stood, blinking up at Gilbert.

"Are you happy now?" Gilbert asked, brow raised. The cat seemed to say yes, rubbing its head against Gilbert's chest before actually sitting down, swishing its tail over his leg. "Whatever." Gilbert shook his head and actually got…some homework done. It didn't help he wasn't actually in class. Granted…he may or may have not actually paid attention in those classes if he was there, but it was nice to at least try to have the information he was supposed to learn stored. After a while of Googleing stuff for a history worksheet he finally went to wake up Alfred, the cat running off of his lap as he got up, perfectly fine with the fact that it used his crotch as leverage.

Gilbert happily slammed his fist onto Alfred's door.

"Wake up dumbass!" Gilbert shouted and he heard some loud thud accompanied by loud footsteps. Alfred opened the door, looking completely disheveled and stared at him for a second. It looked like he had a hard time focusing without glasses, which Gilbert was actually getting quite fond of over time.

"Shit, I almost forgot you're not Mattie," Alfred grumbled. "God that scared me."

"Don't worry, took me a few minutes this morning, too," Gilbert laughed. Alfred regarded him carefully.

"Fuck morning people," he muttered before walking to the shower without, Gilbert noticed, a towel or clothes.

He heard his phone buzz from Matthew's room and quickly went to check it, definitely not wanting to be in the hallway when Alfred got back out. Matthew had texted him.

_Neither of you are touching that stove_. It was a warning. Gilbert smirked as that damn cat walked between his legs.

"Who's gonna stop me?" Gilbert laughed slightly, storing the phone in his pocket and scooping up his homework before carefully placing it into Matthew's backpack. He headed downstairs. Just the idea of pancakes left his mouth watering, as much as it confused him. They had to have some way to make pancakes in this house.

He opened the cabinet and frowned slightly when he didn't see any pancake mix, no matter how hard he searched.

"Dude, whatcha looking for?" Alfred asked and Gilbert glanced back, seeing that he was already dressed and showered, ready for the day.

"I want pancakes," Gilbert muttered. "But you don't have fucking pancake mix in this house. Who does that?"

"Matt makes 'em from scratch," Alfred laughed and Gilbert blinked at him. "Last time I tried to bring in Bisquick, he burned it. Like, in the backyard. Someone called the fire department. I'm not doing that again."

"But I want pancakes," Gilbert grumbled. "I can't ask him how to make 'em, he already told me I'm not allowed to touch the stove, he'll never tell me."

"Dude, wait, Mattie's not here to stop me!" Alfred cheered before going right for the fridge and pulling out a huge package of bacon. "And you have a smart phone, right? Just look it up."

"Fine," Gilbert grumbled.

Gilbert learned quickly that cooking with Alfred was a mess and he banned him from cooking ever again after having to spend 20 minutes cleaning up after him and his damn bacon. The idiot even managed to burn himself twice. Gilbert, meanwhile, was able to come up with some very disappointing, half-assed pancakes that left him really wanting Matthew's recipe. Then Gilbert rushed Alfred to the car so that they could make it to school on time for them to check in on Arthur and see if he managed to accomplish anything.

* * *

Matthew walked quickly with Antonio and Francis, who were both seemingly determined to make it to the Dark Magic Clubroom. Once they arrived, Francis made sure to announce his presence first.

"Ah, mon cher, it is good to see you already here," Francis chimed and Matthew raised a brow in curiosity, but followed him regardless. Arthur was in his usual position at the table with even more books than last time. He looked like he had hardly slept at all. Arthur glared up at Francis.

"I am not your anything," Arthur scoffed, standing up. "And who on Earth invited you two back here? As far as I'm concerned, two idiots is enough for one room. I mean no offense, Matthew."

"None taken, I guess," Matthew said as Francis and Antonio made themselves comfortable on the couch and Arthur glared daggers at them. "Did you find out anything last night?"

"Sadly, no," Arthur sighed, glaring down at the books. "I've decided to ditch the idea of the original spell for now. I'm looking into other body swapping spells to see what I can find. For now, that's all I have."

"My awesomeness has officially arrived!" Matthew heard his voice chime behind him and he rolled his eyes, turning to see Gilbert walk in with Alfred right behind.

"No luck yet, mi amigo," Antonio shook his head. Gilbert groaned, plopping down in the seat opposite of Arthur.

"And now there's more uninvited gits," Arthur sighed heavily, sitting back down. Matthew watched Francis and Gilbert exchange a long look that seemed to be directed towards Arthur.

"What are you two doing?" Matthew asked and Gilbert just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Dude, I have to deal with Gilbert for even longer?" Alfred sighed.

"Hey, we were getting along fine, last I checked," Gilbert said matter-of-factly.

"You wouldn't even let me have fun in the kitchen this morning," Alfred whined.

"Wait, did you two use the stove?" Matthew asked, glaring at Gilbert. He had specifically told him, too!

"You weren't there to stop us, Mattie," Gilbert laughed and Matthew stared at him.

"Gil!" Matthew groaned.

"Relax, it was just some pancakes and bacon, no harm done," Alfred shrugged.

"Knowing you two? I can see a lot of harm being done," Francis said.

"Whatever, the bacon was great," Alfred said.

"After you burned yourself," Gilbert snorted.

"And the pancakes?" Matthew asked Gilbert.

"They were shit," Gilbert admitted.

Matthew sighed. If Gilbert was feeling his normal cravings, it would suck to have to deal with sub-par pancakes for this whole experience. "Tell you what. Swear to me that you'll keep that kitchen clean and I'll give you my recipe."

"Really?" Gilbert asked with wide-eyes. He seemed almost taken aback by his own reaction and Matthew couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "I hate being in your fucking body. It doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, well, imagine my morning, okay?" Matthew sighed. "I had to run. At 4:30 in the morning."

"Brutal, man," Alfred shuddered.

"I did the same thing," Gilbert shrugged.

"You know, all of this talking can get rather distracting when trying to do research," Arthur said pointedly.

"Oh, no, everybody run, the magic nerd's gonna kill us all if we're not quiet," Gilbert snickered.

"Gilbert," Francis scolded, much to Matthew's surprise.

"Whatever, Franny," Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"I find it rather funny that you think the only thing this magic nerd can do is make you switch bodies," Arthur smirked from where he sat. "I know quite a few curses off the top of my head, if you would like."

"Try it," Gilbert challenged just as the bell rang above them. Matthew sighed with relief.

"Good luck today, Gil," Matthew chimed, offering his homework to the teen. Gilbert quickly moved his backpack off of one shoulder so he could unzip it and hand Matthew his homework as well. Thankfully, he'd been able to finish the important stuff.

"You, too, kid," Gilbert said and Matthew nodded before going off to Gilbert's first class. Gilbert mentally punched himself at the thought of going to AP Calc again.

* * *

Arthur sighed as he finally made it to the sanctuary of his clubroom. Granted, there was no teacher there, so it wasn't "technically" a club, it was recognized by a kind teacher who supported Arthur wanting his own space to himself while in school. Recently that sanctuary had been invaded but…regardless, Arthur could at least enjoy his lunch in peace. He allowed the door to close out the obnoxiously loud hall behind him and he dropped his backpack unceremoniously on the ground, slouching in his usual seat. He pushed the books forward a few centimeters and he pulled out his usual sack lunch from his bag.

He smiled contentedly, this was a nice silence. He couldn't be happier. He started eating his usual apple first, skimming through the magical books he had on his desk. He had a pretty vast collection. At first, last year, he'd taken in interest in dark magic as a guise for the sake of the club. After actually looking into it one day, he found that he not only held a small interest in it, and all of the creatures that accompanied it, but he also had an affinity for it. He'd cast a few curses on some particularly rude people in the school and had been extremely happy with the results. The real surprise about his abilities came from those two idiots that switched bodies. And now he was very far out of his element and he had to pretend he actually knew a lot about magic.

In reality, he knew a few curses and that was what he'd been trying when Gilbert and Matthew had ran into each other. But that was it. Now he was trying to fix some stupid mistake on his own? He was lucky everyone else seemed to think he knew what he was doing.

Arthur relished being alone, especially in this damn school. His family had come over from Britain a few years ago, well at least he and his parents. All of his older brothers were already in university and stayed in Britain due to their own choice. All except for one who went to Ireland. His parents had thought that this international school was the best thing ever and immediately enrolled Arthur. Now, Arthur wasn't exactly good with socializing and getting to know people, so being introduced to an entirely new school where over half of the population didn't speak English as their first language was extremely difficult for Arthur. It was just easier for him to shut himself into his small clubroom and be content with his life.

Sadly, the serenity ended as the door opened. Arthur looked up and glared when he saw that it was Francis, Antonio and Matthew…no, Gilbert, who walked in.

"What the hell do you want?" Arthur snapped. "I haven't found out anything new, if that was what you wanted."

"Untwist your panties, Artie," Gilbert laughed and the three sat down on the couch.

"We're just here for lunch, is all," Antonio smiled.

"Why in here?" Arthur asked, very angry that his usual quiet had been interrupted.

"Because during lunch you sit with your friends," Francis offered and Arthur rolled his eyes. He hated dealing with the French the most out of anyone at this damn school. This one especially got on his nerves. "Do you not have any friends, mon cher?" Arthur twitched at the damn pet name Francis had seemed to come up with that morning.

"No," Arthur said simply, hoping that turning his attention to the books would get them to either shut up or leave. Preferably both. Latin was hard for him to understand, especially since he'd only begun learning about a year ago anyway. He had to reread a sentence a few times in order to actually understand what it was saying.

"Well, I would love to be your friend, Arthur," Francis offered and Arthur blinked in surprise.

"Why the hell would I willingly be friends with a frog like you?" Arthur glared at the teen, but Francis just shrugged harmlessly. "Your offer has been denied."

"Hey, what about me?" Antonio pouted, opening his lunch box casually. "Can't we be friends?"

"No," Arthur said bluntly. A Spaniard? He'd rather not.

"Does that make me out of the question?" Gilbert offered with a smirk.

"I'd consider Matthew," Arthur sighed. "He knows how to be quiet and not pry into someone's life and respects the privacy of a closed door." It was in that moment that the door was flung open, Alfred proudly marching in with Matthew following behind him, albeit a little shyly. "Most of the time."

"Yo, Artie, I came here to make your lunch just that much cooler!" Alfred said proudly and Arthur felt himself twitch in annoyance. "No need to thank the hero, your praise is enough."

"Are you bloody joking?" Arthur snapped. He'd even left the door wide open, allowing in the sound of the infernal hallway.

"I'm sorry, he really wanted to come here for lunch," Matthew apologized and Arthur rubbed at his eye.

"What ever happened to having lunch in peace?" Arthur muttered to himself, glaring at the stupid Latin. If only he understood it better. That way this crowd would be out of his hair that much faster. For now, however, he was surrounded by loud people apparently bent on harassing him. Especially Francis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for Kumajiro in this fanfic comes from my own cat Giselle, who's a white cat from hell that I love with all my heart. We also got our first glimpse at Arthur and his tiny backstory about why he's at this school. And some background on the club. I'm not going to focus too much on angst in this story, it just spills out of me really easily. There's going to be some bullying involved, nothing major or direct (because I don't like OCs and I don't particularly enjoy making canon characters bad people), but most of the story is going to be humor and romance. Don't worry. Everything ends on a happy note (unlike a lot of my stories recently, whoops).
> 
> Anyway, this chapter came out a lot easier than the last ones, maybe because I'm not trying to multitask (which ends up with me watching Markiplier for hours while a blank page sits beside me).
> 
> Whatever, I'm on more of a roll now, so I'll see y'all next time!


	6. When You Need A Tutor

Chapter 6. When You Need A Tutor.

Matthew walked with a wide smile on his face, happily holding onto a piece of paper in his hand as he strode through the halls. Now it was easy to walk with arrogance because he really felt it. He happily waltzed to the front of the school, easily weaving through the crowds, before reaching that spot near the front doors where Gilbert was already talking to Francis and Antonio.

"You're welcome!" Matthew smiled proudly, holding a paper in front of Gilbert, who blinked slightly before looking at it more closely.

"Holy shit," Gilbert muttered, taking the paper to look at it closer. Matthew was actually kind of proud. Sure, Gilbert's math class was pretty easy, but it was actually really hard to get 100% on anything. But he managed it. "Why?"

"To get your parents off your case for once," Matthew sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. Gilbert just blinked at him. Matthew smiled. "You know, the teacher talked to me after he scanned all of the tests. He thought I cheated."

"Because I kinda did," Gilbert laughed slightly and Matthew shrugged.

"I like to think of it as using your resources," Matthew said.

"You're already starting to think like Gilbert, look at you," Antonio chimed. "Oh, we should get started to the bus before we miss it."

"Hang on a sec," Gilbert muttered, pulling out his phone. He paused for a second before typing a text to someone and sending it. "Matt, you okay with staying after school with me? At least until your idiot brother finishes his practice?"

"Uh, sure, did you text Ludwig?" Matthew asked. That was…odd. Why did Gilbert want to hang out with him? All of a sudden? Gilbert nodded with his usual smirk, which seemed out of place on Matthew's face.

"Then I'm going to go on ahead," Antonio said his farewell and went off to the bus.

"Would you like me to wait to drive you home?" Francis asked him and Gilbert answered for him.

"Nah, Alfred can do it," Gilbert shrugged. "My place isn't even that far from theirs anyway. Besides, don't you have to make that recipe for your cooking class tonight?"

"Oui," Francis sighed. "Then I will see the both of you tomorrow."

"Later," Gilbert smirked.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked as Gilbert looked at the paper of his math test. Gilbert had made an effort to make sure they were alone...

"Come on," Gilbert said, walking further into the school. Matthew sighed, pulling out his phone to text Alfred, even though his brother wouldn't see it until after practice. "I remember Arthur saying that he stays after school sometimes."

"Gil, what are we doing?" Matthew pressed, walking beside Gilbert. Gilbert bit his lip and continued walking and Matthew just rolled his eyes. Once they reached the Dark Magic Clubroom, Matthew stood in front of Gilbert, blocking the door. "What are we doing?"

Gilbert looked at him for a while before sighing, turning his attention back to the paper. Did he feel bad about Matthew doing that for him? Matthew didn't see any real reason to apologize for it, it was one test, not like anyone cared. It would get Gilbert's parents off his case, at least a little bit. That was all that mattered at this point.

"You're so much smarter than me, alright?" Gilbert finally admitted and it looked like it was hard for him to come up with the words. "You're in AP classes and I'm stuck in the dumbass classes. And if this stupid…spell lasts for much longer, then you're going to be the one suffering."

Matthew blinked as a few students passed behind him. It was amazing just how empty this school was in a matter of a few minutes after the bell. There was hardly anyone around to hear the confession. What surprised Matthew the most was that he'd hardly seen Gilbert act serious since he met him, but now he was straight-faced. This actually mattered a lot to him. And Matthew understood. They could do their own homework, sure, but then there were tests, in-class essays…Matthew couldn't afford to allow his grade to drop. Gilbert had Matthew to take tests for him, but all Matthew had was…

"So are you saying you want me to tutor you?" Matthew asked and Gilbert shrugged. "Well, thank you, that means a lot to me," Matthew moved aside for Gilbert to open the door. Gilbert cared enough to not want Matthew to start failing. Did that 100% make him realize it or had he been thinking about this for a while? Gilbert opened the door and Matthew followed behind him.

Gilbert had picked back up his usual attitude in no time at all.

"Yo, Artie, hope you don't mind us hanging out here for a while," Gilbert chimed as Arthur looked up at them blankly.

"It's only you two, right?" Arthur sighed. Matthew nodded. "Well, a gentleman like me can't exactly kick you out…"

"You? A gentleman?" Gilbert snorted and Matthew couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Arthur glared at him. "Relax, we'll be out of your hair as soon as Alfred's done with practice." Gilbert wasted no time getting comfortable on a chair at the table, the opposite of Arthur. There was plenty of space for them to put down stuff to study. Gilbert pulled out his phone to text someone and Matthew quickly realized, when his phone vibrated, that it was him.

_lets be discreet about this kay i dont want him to no_

"Oh, you're not getting out of this that easily," Matthew smirked, sitting down next to him. "Let's start with calculus." Gilbert just blinked at him and Matthew noticed Arthur look at them in interest. "You're the one that decided to come here instead of the library. So it's fine if Arthur knows, right?"

"Fuck it, fine," Gilbert sighed, digging into Matthew's backpack before pulling out the calculus binder. "Go ahead, try to explain this gibberish to me." Matthew smiled before opening the binder, turning to some of the more recent pages to see if Gilbert had actually taken notes. Surprisingly, there was some scrawl here and there of him attempting to understand and then a doodle of the teacher. Luckily, it seemed like some of this was review.

"Okay, so, first…"

* * *

Gilbert was about ready to fall asleep. Calculus was…alright. Sure, he couldn't survive a test yet, but that wasn't until Friday. Lit was easy to understand, it was just reading with some complex devices or whatever the hell. And Gilbert didn't need to be tutored in art, at least not yet. French, however, was another story entirely. Matthew had been through four years of French class, he seemed to be practically fluent. Gilbert, meanwhile, barely skipped through his Spanish class, which Matthew was apparently having no problems with. And now Matthew was going on and on about some verb Gilbert could care less about. Even Arthur seemed bored, flipping through his damn books. Gilbert finally noticed the definite lack of a much-needed window.

"Gil, are you even listening?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah," Gilbert sighed, sitting upright. This was his idea. He didn't want the teachers to think Matthew was turning stupid or for his grades to drop, since they obviously meant so much to him. He had to stick with this. If Matthew could skirt through Gilbert's classes getting him straight As, Gilbert at least had to try for Matthew's sake. "Yeah. I am, sorry."

"It's a lot, I know," Matthew sighed. "Thankfully, my French class is mostly projects at home that I can work on and learning new things in class and nothing else. So as long as you take notes and there's no test, we should be fine."

"Why the hell is French so hard?" Gilbert grumbled. He still wished he had the chance to learn German, but apparently he just had to spend massive amounts of money on those stupid online things.

"Learning another language is supposed to be difficult," Matthew supplied.

"If you two are willing to take a break," Arthur said and Gilbert gratefully turned his attention to something else, "I believe I may have found something."

"Are you serious?" Gilbert stood up.

"There's no guarantee it'll work," Arthur explained hesitantly. "But from what I can tell, it's worth a shot."

"Do it," Gilbert said and Matthew nodded in agreement. Maybe he wouldn't need these tutoring lessons after all! Arthur nodded.

"Stand over there, where we'll have room," Arthur nodded to a space in front of the door and Matthew and Gilbert complied, standing beside each other. God, Gilbert hoped this would work. "You'll need some kind of body contact," Arthur said, picking up his book and walking over to them, a little hesitantly, like he was scared, "so hold hands or something."

If this would get them back to normal, Gilbert didn't care what he had to do. He held onto Matthew's hand. Arthur nodded before looking at his book carefully

"Don't let go," Arthur muttered before he started speaking something Gilbert honestly couldn't understand. Gilbert's hand holding onto Matthew's started to burn. He winced and Matthew obviously felt a little uncomfortable as well, squeezing Gilbert's hand tighter. The burning only got worse as the "spell" continued . It felt like his hand was on fire, but that was it. No mind-changing feeling or anything else. Arthur's words finally stopped and Gilbert couldn't take it anymore, he let go of Matthew's hand.

"Jesus fucking," Gilbert cursed, holding onto his hand. There wasn't so much as a burn mark on it and the burning feeling washed away slowly, painfully. Matthew winced as he held onto his own hand.

"Dammit," Arthur muttered, glaring at the book, as if searching for what he did wrong.

"It was worth a shot," Matthew offered with a small smile, a strange sight on Gilbert's face.

"How about we never try that one again?" Gilbert offered and Arthur glared at him. "Just an idea."

The door opened behind them. "Yo, Mattie," Alfred called in. "How come you decided to stay after with Gilbert?" He blinked a little in surprise at seeing them all standing so close to the door. "What happened?"

"Arthur tried another spell to change us back," Matthew offered before Gilbert could say anything.

"Yeah, didn't work," Gilbert grumbled, going over to the table to put everything back in order. He and Matthew would have to swap homework anyway.

"And Francis had to go home for his cooking class," Matthew supplied. Gilbert was thankful he at least didn't give away his secret of needing a…a…tutor to Alfred. "There was no way I was going to watch another one of your stupid practices, so we stayed here."

"As annoying as that was for me," Arthur sighed.

"Hey, we weren't annoying or anything," Gilbert protested. Arthur hadn't even complained or muttered to himself once since they got there. That was a record as far as Gilbert had seen him.

"Anybody other than myself who comes into this room is annoying," Arthur said pointedly.

"Aw, don't be like that Artie!" Alfred smirked, wrapping an arm around Arthur's shoulders.

"Do not call me Artie!" Arthur protested quickly, shoving Alfred away. "And you desperately need to work on your personal hygiene after your damn practices."

"Ouch, feeling the hate, dude," Alfred laughed, obviously unfazed.

"Whatever, you three can leave now that your business is done," Arthur sighed as Matthew and Gilbert swapped homework.

"Aw, but what if we wanted to stay, Artie?" Gilbert smirked and Arthur glared at him.

"I wasn't joking about those curses," Arthur said simply and Gilbert shrugged.

"Let's give it a shot," Gilbert smirked

"Gil, let's go," Matthew sighed pulling him out of the room before he could protest much.

"Aw, c'mon Mattie, I was having fun," Gilbert laughed and Matthew just glared at him.

"Al, you can give me a ride, right?" Matthew asked his brother as Gilbert continued to whine and they started walking away from the clubroom.

"Guess so," Alfred shrugged. "Gil, you think you can give me good directions?"

"Sure," Gilbert shrugged. "As long as someone doesn't shut me up prematurely again."

"Whatever," Matthew laughed slightly and Gilbert glared, but couldn't stop the small laugh that came past his guard as well. He still couldn't get quite used to seeing his own body but with someone else in control. But seeing Matthew laugh and be comfortable was fine, too. A huge contrast from what Gilbert saw the previous day. It didn't help that Gilbert knew all of what those stupid smart kids were saying in those AP classes about him. "Oh, hey, Gil, do you think tomorrow after school we could go to the ice rink. I've been thinking about hockey and I need to see if you're any good."

"Please, I'm awesome, I've totally got this," Gilbert scoffed. "I don't need to go to some cold rink to practice."

Matthew shook his head. "I'm not taking any risks. You're going with me. Maybe I can convince Francis to take us…"

"How are you thinking about making me go?" Gilbert smirked. "I've got more important shit to do than go play some stupid sport."

Matthew stopped dead in his tracks and Alfred stopped as well, leaning against some lockers with a smirk that showed that he was ready for a show.

"Stupid sport, eh?" Matthew asked.

"Not exactly the biggest fan of any sport, really," Gilbert shrugged and Matthew swiftly turned around with a harsher glare than Gilbert had ever seen in his life. It sent shivers down his spine, but he didn't let it show. It also didn't help that Matthew was taller than him now. And his friends were right, red eyes when angry was actually pretty damn scary.

"I will drag you there, if I have to," Matthew threatened. "And I'd be happy to show you how _awesome_ of a sport it is."

"Yeah?" Gilbert egged him on, out of curiosity of how far this little nerd was gonna go. "How do you plan on dragging me?"

"Alfred told you about being careful with that curl, yeah?" Matthew asked, an odd change of subject.

"Uh, yeah," Gilbert said. He decided not to mess with anything now and besides the curl was fine the way it was when he brushed his hair. Granted, he was curious, but not painfully so. At least not yet.

"Then I can drag you with that," Matthew smiled, swiftly reaching up and gripping onto the strand of hair. Gilbert didn't exactly fight back. It was a strand of hair, he could pull it out if he wanted.

The massive pang in his gut that left him feeling…admittedly strange had him leaning forward and following Matthew, who continued to pull him along.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," Gilbert cursed, following him. "Okay, I fucking get it, let the fuck go! What the fuck?" Gilbert allowed more strings of curses to flow out of his mouth even as Matthew let go with a smirk and Gilbert stood up, definitely out of arm's length of Matthew, a small blush worming his way onto his face.

"Have I made myself clear?" Matthew asked with an innocent smile that wouldn't have even looked natural on his own face.

"Crystal," Gilbert muttered.

"Then let's get home, okay?" Matthew offered and Alfred just laughed, following him to the parking lot.

This was only day 2 of this stupid venture and Gilbert already felt like he was going to die.

Mental note to self; don't ever smack talk hockey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, guys, I can't, off the top of my head, know which "tutor" or "Tudor" is which. I actually had to Google it. I'm a sad child. I know one is teaching someone and the other is the Tudors in British history, I just couldn't remember which was which.
> 
> Anyway, I'm starting to really have fun with this. Granted, most of this has been planned out since I thought if it over a month ago, but it's fun to see it all play out. I'm hoping Gil's decision to be tutored wasn't too sudden, but whatever, it had to be done. Characterization and all that jazz. Anyway, soon, maybe not next chapter but soon, we'll get to see them on the ice rink. In our time line, it is Wednesday and Mattie needs Gil good at hockey by Sunday.
> 
> That's it for now, I'll see y'all next time!


	7. When You Can't Get It Right

Chapter 7. When You Can't Get It Right.

Waking up at 4:30 in the morning for the second day in a row was immensely difficult for Matthew. He really wasn't used to this, especially after staying up late to get through a huge chunk for reading for his English class. And so it took all of his strength that he could muster to get down those stairs while still looking awake only to have the dogs run up to him excitedly. God, Matthew really just wanted to be asleep right now.

"Brother, are you sure you are alright?" Ludwig asked him and Matthew blinked in surprise.

"Of course, Lud," Matthew smirked, forcing back all of the feelings of being tired into the back of his head. "I'm awesome as always."

"I just want to make sure," Ludwig said, walking slowly towards the door. "You haven't seemed quite right these past few days."

"Like I said," Matthew shrugged, holding tightly onto Blackie's leash as the dog tried to run ahead as soon as the door was opened, "I'm as awesome as ever, no need to worry. You're getting paranoid"

"Maybe I am," Ludwig sighed and they started their run the second the door was closed. Matthew sighed with relief when he knew Ludwig wasn't paying attention. He wasn't sure what he'd try to tell Ludwig if he ever found anything out. Ludwig was a smart, logical person. He'd never believe Matthew if he said this was magic. Then again, he thought the same about Alfred…

He didn't feel right about lying to Ludwig for so long about this.

* * *

That damn teacher just kept calling on him. Gilbert bit his lip as he looked down at the paper. He'd been working really hard on this stupid problem. He was trying desperately to remember not only what Matthew had been telling him but also what the teacher talked about. But it still didn't make sense. And, of course, the teacher decided to ask him if he knew the answer.

"Um," Gilbert sighed. He could at least…attempt something? "X equals 35 and Y equals 6?" He tried. A few people in the class laughed as the teacher went to another student for the correct answer.

"Wonder boy lost his edge," a girl snickered beside him.

"So much for top spot in the class, huh?" a boy said happily.

"Hey, mind shutting up?" Gilbert hissed at him while the teacher spoke, writing more notes on the board. "Trying to actually learn something here." He shook his head as the girl blushed, turning back to taking notes while Gilbert tried to do the same. So Matthew was the best in his class for AP Calc? That was interesting in itself. And he just sat and dealt with these stupid kids gossiping around him all day?

Gilbert was used to the gossip circles and what they said about him and his friends, especially those rumors about Francis sleeping around with everything that moved. But those were the popular kids. Smart kids could really be quite vicious, more so than what Gilbert was used to. He did have to give Matthew some props. For someone so quiet, he apparently didn't mind being important, at the top of the class for everyone to see and make fun of him. Gilbert wouldn't be able to handle that kind of pressure on a normal basis. It was hard enough to be funny in most of his classes, but constantly being smart?

Gilbert shook his head, trying to take better notes than he usually did. For his sake and Matthew's.

* * *

Matthew worried his lip as he watched Gilbert trying to remember the proper words to translate the simple sentence Matthew had given him. Matthew could translate it without even thinking at this point. But Gilbert was having problems. Matthew sighed.

"You remember when I told you how to conjugate "avoir", right?" Matthew asked.

"I'm pretty sure?" Gilbert offered.

"It's okay," Matthew smiled. Rome wasn't built in a day. You couldn't learn a language in a day. It had taken Matthew four years to be able to translate as much as he could. Gilbert was doing this because he wanted to. As much as Matthew really didn't enjoy the idea of his grades falling, he wasn't about to make Gilbert think he was stupid. Sure, they were in the same grade level, but that didn't mean they were expected to know the same stuff. "You know what? How about a break? You haven't even touched the food you brought in," Matthew smiled.

"Finally," Gilbert groaned and Matthew laughed slightly. They were studying during lunch, seeing as everyone else was busy coming up with some random plans about Feliciano's party. Matthew had no intention to go and Gilbert decided that it was as good a time as any to try studying. Arthur was okay with them being in the Dark Magic Clubroom as long as they didn't distract him much.

Gilbert and Matthew had bought lunch beforehand but had been so caught up with studying that neither of them had really touched it past a few bites here and there. Gilbert immediately set to chowing down on the school-made hamburger he had gotten.

"Very classy," Arthur sighed from where he sat and Matthew snickered when Gilbert pouted. Matthew would have to remember that look, it might be very effective later… Matthew absently started to eat the school-made pasta he had bought.

"Dudes, we've totally got this awesome idea!" Alfred cheered as he entered the room and Matthew moved the papers to face him, made it seem like he was the one studying, not Gilbert. Which he realized was ineffective when he remembered he was in Gilbert's body. Arthur let out a sigh as Alfred was followed by not just Antonio and Francis, but also Feliciano and his brother, Lovino, along with Kiku, who Matthew had only heard of before then. Gilbert knew all three, Matthew didn't.

"How on Earth did you think it was a good idea to bring more uninvited people into my-" Arthur was cut off as Alfred started talking again.

"So, like, I was talking to Feli, right?" Alfred stared.

"Calm down, hot shot," Matthew sighed, smirking slightly at Alfred's shocked reaction since he knew the secret. "Wasn't brows just saying something?"

"Oh, wow, so you're the mysterious guy that's behind the Dark Magic Club," Feliciano stared at Arthur in wonder. "It's so cool to meet you." Feliciano nearly tripped over his own feet going over to Arthur, gripping onto his hand and shaking it furiously. Arthur seemed taken aback, at the very least.

"Jeez Feli, calm down, you'll rip off his arm," Matthew laughed. "Oh, yeah, where's Luddie? Isn't he always hanging around you like a lost puppy?" Matthew noticed Gilbert looking at him with a slightly raised brow, almost like he was impressed. Matthew just smirked, an unspoken challenge to see just how good Gilbert was at being him. Granted, he was doing well so far. This many people in one room? It took a lot of courage for Matthew to start talking.

"Thankfully, one of you bastards went to do something productive," Lovino sighed. "So I've only gotta deal with one of you idiots."

"Ludwig went to talk with a teacher," Kiku reported. "As I recall, it was something about an incorrect mark on a test."

"Leave it to him to go correct a teacher," Matthew laughed.

"A-Al, you were saying something?" Gilbert asked and Matthew nearly glared at him. He didn't stutter…often. And he normally didn't sound that pathetic.

"Right," Alfred shook his head, turning to look at Arthur, which was smart. Knowing him, Alfred would mix up Gilbert and Matthew and put them in even more of a mess.

"We were all just thinking about Feli's party," Anotnio chimed, apparently deciding to not trust Alfred as well. "You guys are coming, right?"

"I have zero interest in some stupid party," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Hell, a party sounds like fun," Matthew shrugged, knowing Gilbert would probably want to go.

"I don't know," Gilbert muttered. Matthew frowned. Did he normally sound like that? Really? Gilbert just had to be a bad actor…

"Come now, mon cher," Francis smirked. "There can't be much harm in going."

"I'm definitely not interested in going anywhere when you're there," Arthur scoffed.

"Well, we were thinking about making it like a costume party!" Feliciano said happily. "I know it's really last minute, but at the very least all of us could come in a costume!"

"I told them it was a stupid idea," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"No, it's totally rad," Alfred defended him. "I've totally got this cool Captain America costume from Halloween last year, I bet it still fits."

"With the way you eat?" Francis snickered and Alfred pouted.

"Hey, I'm still on the football team, you know," Alfred protested. "I'm in shape."

"Sure, Al," Gilbert smirked and Alfred narrowed his eyes at him.

"I think that idea's awesome," Matthew smiled. It seemed like a cool idea for a party, if he was going to one. Hopefully all of this would be over so he wouldn't actually have to go to a party. "I'm sure I could come up with something. And Luddie will do anything Feli asks."

"Thanks, Gil!" Feliciano cheered. "I knew it was a cool idea!"

"Si, I could think of a few costume ideas on my own," Antonio mused.

"We should go see if we can track down any of the others coming to the party and spread the word!" Feliciano cheered happily, waltzing to the door.

"I'm only going to make sure you don't do something stupid," Lovino sighed, following after him. Kiku excused himself politely as well.

"I'll go ahead and follow them, too," Alfred left. Antonio and Francis shared a look before Antonio left without another word.

"Aren't you going to leave, too, frog?" Arthur asked, obviously a lot more comfortable now that less people were in the room. Matthew couldn't help but agree. That many people that he didn't really know all that well made him feel nervous. Gilbert finally relaxed, slouching in his chair.

"I hate pretending to be you," Gilbert mumbled.

"I just wanted to offer my company," Francis said simply as he slumped on the couch.

"You're not very good at it," Matthew muttered to Gilbert.

"Like you're any good at pretending to be me," Gilbert countered. "I'm way more awesome than that."

"Oh, so do you want me to saw the word 'awesome' every two words, because that would be so fucking awesome," Matthew smirked and Gilbert raised an eyebrow in amusement before laughing so hard he was holding onto his stomach.

"Holy shit, that's the first time I think I've hard you curse when not pretending to be me," Gilbert howled.

"Technically, I was," Matthew sighed. "But whatever makes you feel better."

"Are you two finished?" Arthur asked and both of them turned their attention to him. "I think I may have found something else…it may work, but I'm not sure."

"Give it a shot," Gilbert shrugged, "can't be worse than it was yesterday."

"Then stand up," Arthur motioned to them with his hand and the two followed instructions.

"What, no holding hands this time?" Gilbert smirked.

"Shut up or I might just mess up again," Arthur hissed and Gilbert put both of his hands up in surrender. Arthur stood up and took his book with him, standing in front of the two again. "Try not to move." Matthew raised an eyebrow at that while Gilbert allowed is arms to rest at his sides. Arthur started muttering those words again and this time it resulted in a sharp ringing in Matthew's head.

He cringed, his hand immediately going up to cradle it. Gilbert hissed in pain as well and Arthur stopped with a small sigh.

"Nice shot there," Gilbert muttered as the bell rang over their heads. Matthew was able to catch the defeated look on Arthur's face before turned around. Francis seemed to notice it as well and sat up to full attention.

"Here," Matthew sighed, handing the notes they'd been going over to Gilbert. "I'm going ahead to class."

"Kay, fine," Gilbert said, pulling his stuff together as well. Matthew could tell that, at the very least, Arthur wanted to be alone. And by the look on Francis' face, he wouldn't allow that. He thought it best for those two to sort out what they wanted alone. He just hoped Gilbert would get the hint as well.

* * *

Arthur wanted to scream. Why couldn't he figure this out? He'd tried twice, dammit! And it all ended up in nothing? Not only would working out the spell get all of these idiots bouncing into his room out of his hair, but it would also…sort of validate himself as a magic user. It sounded stupid, yes, but he'd been interested in magic, but all he'd done were small hexes that could have just been caused by chance. This? This was actual magic that actually came from him. And he couldn't do it again! It infuriated him.

He was more than happy to see Gilbert and Matthew leave, Matthew apparently noting how irritated Arthur was. He couldn't figure out one spell. It was so easy to have them switch bodies the first time and none of the spells he'd found about this situation in any of his books were helping him. And all he'd accomplished when trying to correct everything was pain. He was so…useless.

He glared at Francis, who was still on the couch, though now that the door was closed, he was looking at him with unveiled concern. Arthur scoffed, looking away and sitting down at his desk once again. The bell had rung, he had to get his things together. Right. Francis had been sticking around often and it annoyed Arthur to no end. He didn't need some annoying Frenchman hanging around. And that look on his face…

"Arthur," his voice cut through the air. It was so sudden that it made Arthur jump in his seat and he dropped the folder he had been placing back into his pack.

"What do you want, frog?" Arthur sighed. "Would you like to laugh at me for failing again?"

"Are you alright?" Francis asked and Arthur blinked before looking up at the teen, who was still on the couch, but he was leaning forward, getting subtly closer to Arthur.

"Of course I'm fine," Arthur said simply, standing up with his pack and turning towards the door. "Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't need help from anyone like you."

"Arthur," Francis said, standing up and stopping Arthur from leaving the room. The warning bell rang above them.

"I am not going to be late to class merely because you felt like you needed to talk to me," Arthur scoffed. "I don't give a damn about your concern, this doesn't even involve you."

"As much as it pains me to be in the same room with you," Francis sighed, apparently going along with Arthur's act, at least a little bit, "it pains me more to see a friend in pain."

"I'm not in pain," Arthur said clearly. "Now move."

"I do not care if I am late as long as I can talk to you," Francis confessed and Arthur gave up. He just…

"Move!" Arthur snapped, attempting to push the slightly larger teen out of his way, to no avail. "Dammit, Francis! I don't even care anymore!"

"Do you?" Francis pressed and the late bell rang. Arthur groaned, running a hand through his hair. Great, now he was late to class. Just what he needed. "It does no good to bottle up emotions."

"Oh, I'm not holding back any of my hatred for you, I think I'm fine," Arthur rolled his eyes. Francis placed his hands on Arthur's shoulders and led him to one of the chairs at the table, sitting him down. "What the hell do you want? Should I go ahead and call the authorities now if you intend to do something to me in this room?"

"The spell didn't work," Francis said simply and Arthur visibly cringed. Damn, he hated himself.

"You don't think I already know that?" Arthur scoffed, shaking his head. "If that's all you wanted to talk about-"

"Are you upset?" Francis asked.

"Of course I'm upset!" Arthur snapped. "That doesn't mean I should skip classes to talk to you about my damn feelings. You're not even my friend!"

"Yes, but you are mine," Francis offered a small smile and Arthur just stared at him. Francis considered him a friend? After just two days of knowing each other? How could anyone do that? Hell, even Gilbert and Matthew were getting along swimmingly. Yet, Arthur hadn't even so much as thought of the others entering his life as friends. He never expected them to think of him as a friend. He was just someone in the background that caused a mess and was trying to fix it. Did…did any of the others really think of him as a…friend? "Arthur. You shouldn't bottle up your emotions."

"I failed," Arthur muttered darkly. He couldn't help it, the words just spilled out. No one before had ever actually called him their friend. Not a single person in this damn school. And Francis, of all people, was the first one to actually say anything like that? Sure, the others had probably said the word 'friend', but they didn't mean it like Francis had. Had Arthur been a weaker man, he might have actually cried. "This is my fault, I'm the one claiming I can use magic and I can't even repeat the damn spell I did the first time? I've been studying for…for…it's all useless. I'm useless."

"It's only been two days," Francis chuckled light-heartedly and Arthur looked into his eyes in confusion. "This is a pretty big problem and, as you said, it was an accident. Besides, not everyone can know everything. How are you expected to know how to fix this? At least not without help."

"What, can you read Latin?" Arthur scoffed.

"Well, no," Francis shrugged. "However, I'd be willing to help if you need it."

"I don't need your help," Arthur said, brushing off his hands and standing up, walking towards the door. Francis apparently seemed satisfied with that small confession. That idiot… "I can figure this out."

"I'm sure," Francis smiled slightly and Arthur hurried off to his next class, hoping that his teacher wouldn't call him out in front of everyone like he'd done to others before him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're getting a little better at pretending to be each other now that they've had some practice. And more characters just keep coming in. There's two (technically three if you don't count Ivan) that still need to be formally introduced, but that's all for the main characters, I promise! We also got a teeny tiny FrUK moment. Arthur by no means has any romantic attraction yet, but that takes some time, especially with a character like him. But it was sweet regardless. I enjoyed it!
> 
> That's enough for now, so I'll see y'all next time!


	8. When You Think Too Much

Chapter 8. When You Think Too Much.

It was cold in the ice rink. There were a bunch of people just scattered around for "free skate", kids, teenagers, random adults. It wasn't packed full like Gilbert had seen so many ice rinks in the winter. Why would you go somewhere cold to skate on the ice? Gilbert had no idea. Meanwhile, Matthew had already paid for the skates and handed them happily to Gilbert.

He couldn't believe he was doing this. Francis had dropped them off, laughing at Gilbert since he couldn't get out of this…deal. Alfred was going to be the one to pick them up and drop them off at home. It was easy enough to figure out how to put the skates on. Once he was done, he already saw Matthew standing on the skates, balancing easily in front of him. He wobbled slightly, but Gilbert guessed that must have been from being in someone else's body. It didn't seem that hard…

"You know, you keep going on about hockey like it's gonna be hard to figure out," Gilbert smirked, glancing at some of the kids skating around. "It can't be that hard."

"Then let's find out," Matthew smirked. Like he knew he was about to laugh at Gilbert's failures in just a few seconds. Gilbert had enough pride in him to accept that challenge. He stood up from one of the seats in the stands, where they put on their skates. It only took a few seconds for him to find his balance. There, easy. Matthew simply nodded and walked over to the rink with practiced ease, never once swaying. Gilbert, on the other hand, nearly sprained his ankle after a few steps and almost falling over after a few more. Matthew just smiled back at him. "It can't be that hard, Gil."

"Do you really wanna test me?" Gilbert threatened and Matthew simply shrugged. Gilbert rolled his eyes. He finally made it over to where Matthew was, at the entrance to the rink. He motioned for Gilbert to go first. Gilbert simply smirked and walked forward. He glanced at the other skaters. It was just like walking, except you slid slightly, easy. Just in case, Gilbert held onto one of the walls and stepped down one foot on the ice, nearly slipping and falling on his face when he put his weight on it. "What the hell?"

"It can't be that hard," Matthew said again and Gilbert glared at him. Gripping tightly onto the wall, Gilbert managed to get both of his feet onto the ice without sliding away too far. Gilbert glanced over and saw Matthew gracefully step onto the ice and slide in front of Gilbert, turning with practiced ease. "See? I can do it just fine. What about you?"

"You've been playing hockey for years," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "That's hardly fair."

"But you said it was easy," Matthew laughed staying still without much of a problem. Meanwhile, Gilbert found himself sliding forward and struggling to keep himself where he was. "Thank God none of my team is here today, I'd hate for them to see me like you."

"Hey," Gilbert whined. "Fuck you. This is…" Gilbert glared at his feet. "This is easy."

"Then come on," Matthew motioned to the center of the rink, skating backwards like it was nothing more than walking. Gilbert felt his grip tighten on the wall.

"Fine," Gilbert smirked, slowly letting go of the wall and carefully stepping forward while trying to slide with his right foot. The result was instantaneous. He felt himself lose his balance and felt panic take over as he fell right on his ass painfully and Matthew smiled from where he stood. "Fuck…"

"You've never skated before, have you?" Matthew asked and Gilbert shook his head. Matthew sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess hockey can wait for tomorrow. Today, you have to learn how to skate. I'm not missing that hockey game."

"Then help me up," Gilbert said, holding out his hand expectantly. Matthew simply shook his head.

"You have to learn how to get up yourself," Matthew chimed. "Otherwise you'll just keep falling because it's easy."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Gilbert grumbled, watching some stupid couple skate past them happily. Gilbert huffed and attempted placing the skates on the ice and tried getting up that way, but he just fell again. Damn, his ass was getting cold. "C'mon, Mattie, just once." Matthew shook his head with a small smile. Gilbert groaned and decided to move over to his knees. He stepped onto his right foot first, but when he put his weight on it, his foot slipped back painfully and he nearly fell flat on his face. "Fine, I take it back. This is fucking hard, alright? Just help me up."

"Just this once," Matthew hummed, moving in front of Gilbert with a hand held out. Gilbert nodded, taking the hand and using Matthew as his anchor to get back up. Matthew didn't even begin to fall over. Matthew didn't release his hand. "If you're learning how to skate this fast, we're taking off the training wheels. No walls, got it?"

"Then you're gonna have to get used to helping me up," Gilbert smirked.

"We'll see," Matthew smiled and it was almost…cute? Wait, did Gilbert really just think that? Then again, it was his own body smiling cutely at him. Gilbert never would have guessed that he could make that kind of facial expression. Matthew skated backwards, pulling Gilbert with him. "Just skate forward for now, I have to see what I have to work with."

Gilbert bit his lip and tried moving forward, practically losing his balance with every step, but Matthew's grip stayed strong. As they continued to move, however, and Matthew showed an example of how to properly move forward, Gilbert was getting better at it. He stopped relying so much on Matthew's hand, which was still there.

"Now let's try moving faster," Matthew smirked, moving fast enough to tug on Gilbert's arm.

"Hey," Gilbert muttered, trying to keep up. When he focused too much on how fast he was going, he tried to lean back to stop, nearly falling over if Matthew hadn't still been holding onto his hand. Matthew stopped. "Can we take a break?" Gilbert whined. His feet and ankles were sore, not to mention his legs, which he knew would be in severe pain by the time morning came. He didn't even know how long they'd been doing this for.

"Nope," Matthew said. "Once you take a break, you'll be too tired to keep going."

"I'm getting there now," Gilbert muttered.

"Just don't think about it too much," Matthew smiled, moving forward again. Don't think about it? They were moving pretty damn fast over the hard ice, trying not to run into other people and the only thing Gilbert had to keep him from falling was his own fucking hand.

He tried thinking about something else. Anything else. For some reason, his thoughts strayed to the hand firmly holding onto his. The secure grip that made sure he felt safe, squeezing when Gilbert fell too far behind or almost went too far ahead. That kept him from falling…Suddenly, it seemed like their hands…connected…felt really hot. But, a good hot. Warm. Happy.

Matthew let go and Gilbert's attention snapped back to the present. What the hell even was that? Gilbert had stopped, but Matthew skated ahead of him with a playful smirk on his face.

"Let's play tag," Matthew offered. "No training wheels." Just the way he stood shouted confidence. It was such a sharp contrast from when Matthew was just being…Matthew. When he wasn't trying to be Gilbert, he would slouch, almost blend into the background. Here, he stood up straight with a wide smile on his face, looking like he was at home. It was…endearing.

"You're on," Gilbert smirked, if only to see the giddy look on Matthew's face as he skated far away from Gilbert, who chased after him without a second thought. He wasn't even thinking about falling anymore. He nearly chased Matthew into a corner of the rink, but Matthew expertly ducked away with the grace of a figure skater and Gilbert all but slammed into the wall before turning and following after him. Gilbert chased Matthew around the rink for a while, learning, more or less, how to turn in the process.

Finally, Matthew stopped somewhat close to where they entered. Gilbert moved to stop before realizing that he actually didn't know how to stop without Matthew there to help him or without running into a wall. His eyes widened as Matthew seemed to figure this out and reacted too late, the two of them slamming into each other as they both tumbled to the ice. They both started laughing uncontrollably, Matthew on his back and Gilbert on his side.

"I guess I should have thought about teaching you how to stop," Matthew gasped between his fits of laughter. "It just slipped my mind."

"Holy shit," Gilbert laughed. "I-I'm sorry."

"I don't even remember the last time I actually fell on the ice," Matthew laughed, sitting upright. "It's been years. Does it usually hurt this much?"

"Hey, thanks to you, I've only fallen twice," Gilbert smirked, watching as Matthew stood without any problems at all. Matthew held out a hand for him. "I thought you said you wouldn't help me up again."

"That was teacher to student," Matthew smiled. "This is friend to friend."

"Fine," Gilbert gladly took the hand, ignoring the heat that sparked between them once again. He was all too sad when Matthew released his grip.

"Al's gonna be here in a few minutes, we should get ready to leave," Matthew offered, looking to where they'd left their bags and shoes.

"How long have we even been here?" Gilbert asked, following Matthew as he made it to solid land. It felt weird to Gilbert now as he attempted to balance and walk over to a bench to sit on. He kind of liked the freedom of skating and gliding across the ice… He was happy he was coming back tomorrow.

"A few hours," Matthew shrugged. "Maybe three or four?"

"Well, you're a hell of a teacher," Gilbert smirked, slumping onto a bench. His entire lower half felt sore, but it was the good kind of sore. Like what you felt after a good workout. The kind where you knew you'd get some good looking muscles for afterwards. He bet Matthew had some pretty good looking muscles, he just never took the time to invade his friend's privacy when he changed or took a shower. "Only a few hours and you've got me skating."

"You won't be so happy tomorrow," Matthew giggled. "Hockey's a whole other experience."

"I'm looking forward to it," Gilbert said honestly, taking off the skates and putting on regular, old, boring shoes. Not that Matthew's shoes were bad or anything…he just preferred the feeling of skating at this point.

Gilbert happily followed Matthew out of the rink as they chatted about nothing in particular. Grades in various classes, tests to look out for, quirks certain teachers had to help the other get along with them better. Gilbert hardly even noticed they were moving until they were outside, in the chilly, night air. That was when he noticed just how hot his face was. And for some, strange reason, he found himself glancing at Matthew's hand, like he wanted to touch it. He wanted, more than anything, to just grab hold of it.

He shook his head. They weren't skating anymore. He didn't need Matthew for balance. If anything, taking hold of his hand now would shake his balance so much he just might fall…

They found Alfred and Matthew's car easily in the mostly empty parking lot and Gilbert left all of those thoughts back at the rink. No way. What had him thinking some cheesy ass one-liners? He must have just been going crazy after being in Matthew's body for so long.

* * *

Matthew relaxed back in Gilbert's bed as soon as he got to Gilbert's house. There was a good ache around his body after skating on the ice. He loved that feeling after a good workout. His team hadn't had a lot of chances to practice and he'd been able to worm his way around practices, saying he had a lot of tests and school work to do, which wasn't exactly a lie, and said he was practicing on his own. Also not a lie.

Gilbird happily sat beside his head and Matthew smiled at him. Today had been a good day. Hockey and skating were things that made him feel comfortable and happy. He rarely had a chance to show that side of him to anyone and Gilbert had seen it. And enjoyed it. Whenever Matthew teased him, Gilbert teased right back, more than willing to go along with it. Matthew raised his hand over his head, staring at it. The hand he'd held onto Gilbert with. Why had it seemed so hot? No…not hot…warm.

Ludwig knocked on the door for him, saying dinner was ready. Matthew hurriedly got up and left the room, leaving Gilbird to look at him curiously. Matthew shook his head on the way down the stairs. It must have been nothing.

It was a typical family dinner again, something Matthew wasn't used to, but it was nice. Especially when Gilbert's parents weren't yelling at him. Especially after he'd started scoring well on Gilbert's tests for him. There was even one point during this dinner that Gilbert's father had mentioned that Gilbert was "getting better". It nearly made Matthew glow with pride. Once dinner was finished, the parents left to finish up some last minute stuff from work and he and Ludwig were left to clean the kitchen.

They were quiet for most of the time, a comfortable silence. It was only when they were washing dishes (Ludwig washing and Matthew drying and putting away while hopefully not making a fool of himself) when Ludwig actually said something to him.

"You're acting…different," Ludwig mused.

"Different?" Matthew snorted, hiding the nervousness inside of him. He felt horrible for hiding this secret from Gilbert's own brother, but he hadn't figured out how to explain this situation yet. "You mean awesome?"

"No, I mean different," Ludwig pressed and Matthew swallowed.

"This about my grades?" Matthew smirked, raising an eyebrow while waving around a wet plate. "C'mon Luddie, you've gotta have more faith in your dear older brother. Of course I can get good grades, I just gotta focus."

"And why have you decided to focus now?" Ludwig pressed.

"Let's just say our parents finally got under my skin," Matthew shrugged and Ludwig stared at him for a while. It looked like he was trying to figure out what was wrong, but he couldn't place anything. Matthew fought back the urge to bit his lip after being under scrutiny for so long. "Look, I know I'm pretty sexy and great to look at, but there comes a time when it gets kinda creepy."

"Sorry," Ludwig muttered, turning back to washing the dishes. Matthew sighed.

"Everything's fine, Lud," Matthew offered. "I promise, if anything was weird, I'd tell you first."

Ludwig just nodded, looking deep in thought.

* * *

Gilbert was exhausted. He groaned from where he laid on the couch while Alfred rummaged through the kitchen for a snack. It was a few hours after dinner and it seemed like Alfred never stopped eating. Ever.

"Mattie may be a great teacher," Alfred shrugged, "but he's a fucking hard ass, right? He tried teaching me how to skate once."

"Yeah? How'd that go?" Gilbert asked, hardly watching the cartoons Alfred had turned on.

"I don't really have the right body to be any good at it," Alfred shrugged. "I'm built for football, you know?" He walked over to the couch with a bag of chips and a soda in his hand. He shoved Gilbert's feet off of the couch where he wanted to sit and Gilbert groaned again as he sat. "Matt didn't even help me up when I fell, it was total bullshit."

"He tried that with me, too," Gilbert shrugged. "I dunno, he's a pretty good teacher. I figured it out after a while."

"Well, that's great, considering he's got that match coming up soon," Alfred mused. "Just wait till you're expected to skate while people are basically attacking you. You should've seen Mattie after his first game."

Gilbert laughed, just imagining such a sight. Matthew all bruised and beaten, purely exhausted, but Gilbert would have bet anything that he had on a smile so big it would've cracked his face in two.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get to sleep," Gilbert sighed, standing up slowly, despite the aches and pains. He had some homework to do as well, but that could wait until the morning. He'd still wake up early, but going for a run was up in the air, depending on how he felt tomorrow.

"See ya tomorrow," Alfred nodded to him.

Gilbert made it up the stairs, somehow, and the cat skirted past him to make it into Matthew's room before he closed the door. Gilbert smiled and shook his head. That damn cat. Gilbert sorted through Matthew's dresser for suitable night clothes and started getting changed. He did stop, however, after he'd taken off Matthew's shirt.

The kid really did have some muscles on him. He was pretty lean, but could definitely beat someone up if he wanted to. He actually wasn't that bad looking, all considering. His skin was smooth, hardly any blemishes aside from a few scars, probably from hockey. If he flexed, Gilbert could get a clear view of his abs…

Gilbert blinked. When did it get so hot and stuffy in the room? He swiftly changed, forcing away those thoughts. That was just…weird…He flopped onto the bed, his face in the pillow. What was wrong with him today?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that, Ludwig's not an idiot. He knows something's up with Gilbert, he just honestly can't think of any explanation on his own for his odd behavior. And, just so you know, I was smiling uncontrollably all throughout their little hockey experience. Gilbert's really starting to fall, he just doesn't notice yet. Matthew's getting there, too, it's so adorable. I enjoyed this chapter so much, y'all have no idea.
> 
> Also, in recent news, I finally got the good idea to write down a timeline so I know what's gonna happen when. I've managed to map it out until their next Thursday, but it doesn't end there, my lovelies. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll see y'all next time!


	9. When You Get Too Angry

Chapter 9. When You Get Too Angry.

Test day. In Math. Gilbert was…nervous. He hadn't gone for a run that day, which was terribly bad for his nerves. He usually spent his time on runs thinking through his day and what stressed him out, allowed himself to think about things clearly. Instead, he sat in that stuffy room doing his homework and going over the notes he and Matthew had been looking at for a few days. God, he was terrified. What if he failed the test? He couldn't do that to Matthew, the straight A student…

Once they'd made it to school, Gilbert went straight for the Dark Magic Clubroom, hardly noticing Arthur when he got in, pulling out the notes once again to stare at them, hopefully memorize a few things. He'd done the review with Matthew's help, so he knew what was supposed to be on the test in theory. He just hoped he could do it under pressure.

"Are you alright, Gilbert?" Arthur asked carefully and Gilbert looked up at him. "Not that I care much, really. It's just that you're…um…giving the room a negative energy, it makes it hard to…study…magic…" Arthur's voice grew quiet at the end of his sentence. Had Gilbert been less stressed, he would have pointed out the blatant lie and wondered why Arthur had gone through the effort. But he was stressed out.

"Matt's got a test in Math today," Gilbert confessed. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Since when did you care about Matthew's grades?" Arthur asked. "Or any grades?"

"Since when did you ask if I was doing alright?" Gilbert countered and Arthur shut up, looking down at his book again. Gilbert checked his phone for the time. Shit… "I just don't want him to fail like me, alright?"

"Then don't fail," Arthur muttered.

"You say that like it's easy," Gilbert snorted. Arthur opened his mouth to retort, but the door opened behind Gilbert and Matthew walked in, humming a small tune. Huh, Gilbert's voice actually didn't sound that bad musically…

"Hey, Gil," Matthew chimed, happily taking the seat beside Gilbert, looking down at the papers in front of him. "Do you think you're ready?"

"Well, I've gotta be," Gilbert snorted.

"A bad test score isn't going to be the end of the world," Matthew offered with a small smile. But Gilbert just sighed. No, it wouldn't be. But it'd be pretty damn close if you asked Gilbert. "Trust me, I've done pretty poorly a few times myself."

"Yeah, and you've got the ability to pick it all back up again in no time," Gilbert muttered under his breath.

"Let me tell you something," Matthew said seriously, looking Gilbert in the eye. "Test scores? They're pretty huge in the gradebook. Last year, I totally failed two tests in a row. My grade was a C for an entire half of the semester and I barely got it back up to an A. I sucked at that class, I still hate chemistry, alright? It wasn't some innate skill of being good at school and just being smart that made it back up to an A. I worked hard. And that's what you're doing. You're working hard, so I don't care how smart you are. So what if there's a few bad grades? You'll work hard to get it back up again."

Gilbert nodded with a small smirk. "Fair enough."

The bell rang above them and Gilbert felt his stomach drop. But Matthew just gave him a reassuring smile as they swapped homework. Gilbert hadn't even finished all of his because his morning had been so stressful. Just great…They went their separate ways, Arthur offering a 'good luck' to Gilbert, who just bit back his nausea that was starting from the stress. He felt about ready to pass out when he finally made it into the classroom. He couldn't fail Matthew. Really. He was his friend.

The papers were passed out by the numb teacher, all of the students around him seeming slightly nervous, but obviously used to these weekly tests. Gilbert mustered up his courage and picked up his pencil, looking at the first question.

Okay, that he knew how to do, he was pretty sure. He scribbled down his calculations quickly, but making sure he didn't make any mistakes. He hoped the teacher wouldn't question the change in handwriting very much. After all, it was just some numbers.

Gilbert hardly even noticed time passing as he continued through the problems. There were some really hard ones where he wasn't sure about the answer, but he double checked them, so he guessed it was fine. And he was surprised when he turned the page and discovered that there weren't anymore problems. He blinked in surprise, glancing up at the clock. It was dangerously close to the end of the period. In fact, the bell rang just a few seconds afterwards. Multiple kids around him sat up from where they slouched after finishing early, more than half of the class having already turned in their tests. Gilbert felt his heart slam in his throat as he handed in the stupid test before leaving the room.

Well, that was certainly…something.

* * *

It was nice to have lunch alone…well, mostly alone. It was close enough. At the start of the lunch period, Alfred walked in yawning, saying how he needed a break and he hadn't had much sleep from the night before (probably watching movies or something). So he placed his phone on the table, on silent, and flopped unceremoniously onto the couch. Where had stayed.

He was sound asleep, surprisingly not snoring, and no one else entered the room for quite some time. This left Arthur with plenty of time to study his magic books. If there was one thing he was starting to realize it was that he was starting to think he didn't quite…want to reverse that spell. He'd been alone most of his time here and, though he found most of the people constantly around him completely insufferable, they were company. Arthur wasn't quite sure if he could handle being alone again…

Arthur looked up from his books he wasn't actually reading when someone walked in. He half expected it to be Francis or perhaps Matthew looking for his brother. But, rather, it was someone he'd only seen passing in the hallways. He swallowed thickly.

Ivan Braginski. He was on the American football team with Alfred, that much Arthur knew. And he was bloody terrifying. He always had this creepy smile on his face and, though Arthur heard very few rumors, he'd heard a few about what Ivan would do to kids that made fun of him or his sisters. For once, Ivan wasn't smiling, but looking inside curiously, almost nervously.

"Hello," he said, his Russian accent was thick. There was one true rumor. "Is this the Dark Magic Club?"

"Yes," Arthur said simply. "What business do you have here?"

"I was told I may find Fredka here," Ivan said simply, blinking in surprise when he finally spotted the American teen. "Ah, he is asleep," he smiled fondly.

"Why do you want to see Alfred?" Arthur asked hesitantly, getting to his feet to at least give himself some ground, should he need it. He wasn't stupid enough to believe rumors, but he at least had to be on guard just in case they were true. The smile didn't leave Ivan's face.

"I was going to discuss something about our game next week," Ivan hummed. "It can wait until later." He hummed slightly as he walked further into the room, looking at everything in interest. His eyes finally rested on Arthur's books. From this close, Arthur could clearly see the massive height difference between the two. It really set him on edge. "So you do actually do magic in this club. Is this Latin?"

"Yes," Arthur said simply and Ivan's smile grew. It wasn't quite creepy. Just…happy. Pure.

"What are you studying?" Ivan asked and Arthur blinked in surprise.

"Um," it took Arthur a moment to remember what he'd actually been doing, especially with those bright purple eyes staring right at him. "Body switching. I've…come into a bit of a problem I'd like to fix."

"That is very interesting," Ivan nodded, turning a book to look over it. Was he actually reading it? "How do you suppose this curse you have turned to will help you?" Arthur was nearly at a loss for words. Ivan…was taking interest in magic. Or he had an interest. Regardless, he was reading his strange books and not laughing at him or pointing out how magic didn't exist. He was…offering help.

"That was where my mess started," Arthur sighed. "You see, this curse…"

* * *

Gilbert had texted Matthew before lunch started that they weren't going to do the usual tutoring during lunch. Matthew had planned on eating with his brother, as he hadn't been able to talk to him in quite some time, but Alfred was busy or…something. He wasn't answering his phone. He stood in the cafeteria for some time, looking for somewhere to sit. He was Gilbert now, he couldn't just…sit alone.

"Mon ami, have you been left all alone?" Francis chuckled from behind him, happily wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"That is so sad," Antonio mused. "Let's have lunch together!"

"You don't have to," Matthew shook his head, but couldn't quite hide the smile on his face. Eating lunch with friends sounded…nice.

"It would be my pleasure," Francis chimed, guiding Matthew over to where the three usually ate, well, the Trio usually ate. "I have not had the chance to speak with you much, Mathieu. I even learned rather recently that you know French?"

"I wouldn't say I'm fluent," Matthew shrugged. "But I'm in pretty high level French, yeah."

"Why don't the cute ones take Spanish?" Antonio groaned and Matthew felt a small blush on his face. Cute? Hardly…

"Est-ce que tu aimes le Franҫais?" Francis asked simply and Matthew smile.

"Oui, je pense que il est un trés beau langue," Matthew offered and Francis practically giggled in delight.

"Your French is very beautiful," Francis sighed happily. "Truly a wonder."

"Um…thanks?" Matthew muttered.

"I think it's weird to hear it come from Gilbert, though," Antonio mused. "If I were to hear any language other than English from his mouth, I would have expected it to be German."

"Does he not know German?" Matthew asked. Both of his parents spoke German fairly often, whether it was just some random words or arguments between them. Matthew would have guessed that Gilbert could speak it…

"It's such a shame this school doesn't teach it," Antonio shook his head.

"Non, he does not speak it," Francis said. "He is in Spanish."

"I can hardly call what he does Spanish," Antonio snorted before looking over to the side. "Look out, we've got incoming." Matthew glanced to where he was looking and he saw two people walking towards them that he'd never seen before. One was a girl with fairly long brunette hair and bright green eyes with a happy smile on her face, yet she radiated some kind of danger, especially when she looked at Matthew. The other was a boy, who walked with a very large amount of elegance. He had black hair and deep purple eyes, also looking at Matthew with slight distain.

"Old friends of Gilbert," Francis supplied simply. "The girl is Elizabeta, he calls her cow. The other one is Roderich, but he has the fond nickname of Specs for him."

"They get along well enough, but mostly through fighting," Antonio 'helped' as well and Matthew blinked at them. So there were even more people he had to fool now. That was just…great.

"Gilbert," Roderich said with slight distain as they reached the table, standing to the side of the three.

"Specs," Matthew smirked, hoping he could fool old friends of Gilbert. He had been getting better at pretending, so hopefully he could pull this off as well. "Cow." He glanced at the girl, who sneered slightly at him. So, they got along…by fighting? That didn't make any sense, but…then again Alfred and Ivan were friends weren't they?

"You're going to that party Feli's got, right?" Elizabeta asked.

"'Course," Matthew shrugged. "Isn't everyone?"

"Did you get it in his head to do that costume idea?" Elizabeta asked.

"Uh, no, pretty sure that was Alfred," Matthew corrected pointedly and Elizabeta looked at him curiously.

"I didn't know he was that close with Alfred," Elizabeta mused. "We're talking the good-looking football player, right?"

"Good looking?" Roderich asked and Elizabeta waved her hand dismissively.

"Uh, sure," Matthew nodded, not quite sure how he felt about affirming if his brother was hot or not. "Is there a problem?"

"No, I guess I was just getting my hopes up that you would actually come up with a good idea," Elizabeta sighed heavily. "I also have another question to ask you."

"Shoot," Matthew sighed, attempting to sound bored. These two were actually quite interesting and he hoped he could talk with them more…just maybe not as Gilbert.

"You've been hanging out a lot with a cutie," Elizabeta smirked. "At least, that's what the rumors have been. Since earlier this week you've been hanging around a cute, little nerd. Even going ice skating with him. You have to tell me more! Who is he?"

"Who is…" Matthew muttered. "What, you mean Matt? He's…he's no one."

"Did I sense some hesitation?" Elizabeta smirked.

"No," Matthew sighed, glancing at Roderich. He seemed like a rational guy. Maybe he could calm her down. He didn't.

"You should have told me sooner if your interest was in cute boys!" Elizabeta gushed and Matthew felt himself blush and he cursed himself silently for it. He thought back to Gilbird and Gilbert's reaction to Matthew discovering him. He didn't want people to think he was the kind of person that liked cute things.

"Have you even met me?" Matthew scoffed. "I'm not into cute, if you haven't noticed. I'm into awesome."

"If you're into him, he has to be awesome," Elizabeta mused and Matthew blinked at her in surprise. "Besides, that blush is more than enough for me! I'm going to find him and ask his opinion on it! Someone's bound to have seen him today!"

"Wait, hold on!" Matthew protested but she was already turned around and walking away, Roderich following her.

"This is one of the rare times during lunch we can find him without Gil, anyway!" she laughed and Roderich just chuckled, following after her.

"What just happened?" Matthew asked in wonder.

"She has this thing for dipping into relationships," Francis shrugged, acting as if all of this was normal.

"Especially if they're gay," Antonio shrugged as well, continuing to eat his meal. Matthew just blinked in surprise.

"But Gil and I aren't in a relationship," Matthew protested.

"That's just what makes all of this situation even more amusing," Francis winked and Matthew let out a heavy sigh.

"She's going to talk to Gil now," Matthew muttered. "I hope he doesn't mess it up."

"Knowing Gil," Antonio mused. "He totally will." Matthew groaned, hiding his head in his arms on the table.

* * *

Gilbert _really_ needed to punch something. Nerds were little bitches. Not only did he hear all of the snide comments for finishing that damn test at the last minute, but apparently the little bitch that was used to catching Matthew's answers over his shoulder was mad at him for taking so long? And then he got made fun of in the middle of another class for having a quiet voice. And Gilbert really needed to punch something.

He could respect Matthew's wishes to not want to aggravate them. Sure, fine, whatever. But Gilbert, sure as hell, wasn't about to just let his anger simmer. So, rather than go to lunch, he went straight for the school's weight room. Naturally, it reeked of sweat because it was usually horded by all of the buff angry sports teams. Now, however, it was perfectly empty. Not even a teacher was around.

Gilbert stormed over to where he could see a well-beaten punching bag waiting for him. Gilbert didn't even waste time with putting gloves on before he slammed his fist into the bag. It barely even shifted, but damn did it feel good. Seeing as he was alone, Gilbert allowed himself to shout as he hit the bag, happy with just how much it was relieving his stress. He'd done this a few times in the past. Whenever his parents really pissed him off or a teacher decided to have a 'talk' with him about his grades. After all, this was better than punching a wall, and even better than punching a person.

He punched the bag until his arms nearly felt numb and he placed his hand on the bag to steady it, his breaths coming out ragged. He stared at the hand and winced. He should have put gloves on. He didn't know how he hadn't felt it, but his knuckles were bleeding. Not much, but just enough to leave scabs and scars.

"Fuck," Gilbert groaned. This wasn't even his body! He should have just worn gloves. What would Matthew say? Not only did Gilbert get himself worked up over bullies, of all things, but he went and made him bleed.

"I knew something was up at lunch," a girl laughed behind him and Gilbert froze, glancing back. It was Elizabeta, Roderich standing just slightly behind her. Gilbert forced back any of his normal words he'd have to say to them, settling for acting shy as he struggled to find words to come up with. These were his old friends, they knew him really well. It was a wonder they hadn't tried talking to Matthew yet. "Don't try to hide it. I've seen you punch things before, Gilbert."

Gilbert blinked at them, wincing as the sting in his hands started to set in. It was a familiar pain to him, but he wasn't sure about Matthew. Hockey had a lot of padding, anyway.

"How do you even…" Gilbert muttered. He wasn't about to confirm or deny anything, but Elizabeta had him curious.

"I talked to 'you' during lunch," Elizabeta smiled.

"Even I could tell something was wrong," Roderich sighed. "He didn't even mock me for the way I dress." Elizabeta giggled.

"He's a pretty good actor, I have to admit," Elizabeta mused. "Whoever he is. He's a lot better than you, anyway."

"I was alone," Gilbert scoffed. Whatever, if they figured it out, then he couldn't help it. Fine. "I didn't have to act."

"So how did this happen?" Elizabeta gushed, quickly walking up to him and examining him closer. "You know that cute face doesn't suit your scowl very well."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Gilbert waved them off. "It was Arthur from the Dark Magic Club. He messed up this spell or whatever and we're stuck."

"Arthur?" Elizabeta asked. "I've never heard of him…"

"Believe me, I hadn't either," Gilbert shook his head, trying to rub at his hands but wincing in pain.

"We should do something about those," Roderich noted.

"Whoever this boy is, he shouldn't have to deal with scars just because you were stupid," Elizabeta smiled.

"Let me guess, you've got a first aid kid, Specs?" Gilbert smirked.

"After knowing you two for so long?" Roderich scoffed. "Of course I do."

"Whatever," Gilbert laughed, walking past the two. "Let's deal with this at the Clubroom, okay? That way Arthur can answer questions or whatever. I don't wanna deal with that bullshit. Besides, you're kinda involved now, huh?"

He lead them out of the work out room, past the lunchroom. They walked through the hallways, Elizabeta going on and on about how adorable it was that Gilbert was hanging around someone so cute. He winced, hoping no one heard her. Yeah, he was into cute things because they were awesome, but the world didn't need to know that.

Finally, they reached the room, where the door was open. Gilbert could clearly see Matthew from where the door was open. Awesome, he could introduce him properly to those two. He proudly walked forward and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders with a wide smile.

"Hey, Mattie, how awesome of you to stop by at this time," Gilbert said proudly, about to turn to Elizabeta and Roderich to introduce them. He stopped, however, when he caught sight of a person further in the room. Familiar scarf, creepy smile, and all. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. Matthew elbowed him sharply and it took Gilbert a second to realize what he'd done. Ivan gave them an amused look.

"I now understand what your problem is," he smiled at Arthur, who had his face in his hands.

"What is all this racket?" Alfred grumbled, sitting upright and looking around the room. "Shit…"

"You idiots manage to knock down three at once?" Arthur ground out, glaring up at them. Gilbert shrugged.

"Seriously, as long as the cat's out of the bag, I want that crazy bastard out of this room," Gilbert pointed at Ivan.

"He's not a crazy bastard," Matthew protested and Ivan looked on with some kind of sick amusement.

"Look at the way he's staring!" Gilbert protested.

"So is this the poor boy forced to swap bodies with you?" Elizabeta gushed, looking between them carefully, as if trying to commit Matthew's looks and body language to memory.

"At least give them some space," Roderich scolded.

"Anyone wanna explain what's going on?" Alfred offered and Arthur just massaged his temples. Ivan started walking towards them and Gilbert visibly flinched away from him.

"Gil," Matthew muttered, looking away from Elizabeta and to his hands. "What did you do?"

"Your classmates pissed me off, alright?" Gilbert groaned.

"So you punched them?" Matthew looked at him in horror.

"No!" Gilbert said. "It was a bag, I swear!"

"Matvey is so much quieter and nicer than you," Ivan hummed. "It is such a shame he had to switch with you."

"You know what-" Gilbert was about ready to snap, but the bell rang loudly above them. Arthur closed the book he had been reading with a loud _thud_.

"Let's all just get to class before this turns into a riot," Arthur sighed heavily, heaving his bag over his shoulder and forcing his way through the entrance.

"I'm going to ask you so many questions after school!" Elizabeta said excitedly. "Gil, text me where you'll be!" She dragged Roderich away, who protested in response and Gilbert looked guiltily at his still unwrapped hands. Great.

"Anyone wanna fill me in, what the fuck just happened?" Alfred tried.

"I will talk with you later, Fredka," Ivan smiled as he left as well and Gilbert noticed the clear blush on his face. Well, that solved one question.

"Whatever," Gilbert sighed, starting to walk off. Matthew carefully held onto his wrist to stop him.

"We have five minutes until class starts," Matthew offered. "My backpack has some bandages just in case. Just wait for a sec, alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Gilbert nodded as they went to the side of the hall, Matthew rummaging through his backpack on Gilbert's back before he finally produced what he wanted. As crazy as this was getting, Gilbert had to admit that it was nice having Matthew around to help him through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at that, some random words of advice from a high school graduate. Weird, didn't think that would come out. But, yeah, that stuff Matt said near the beginning about grades, so true, bros. Also, the last characters have been introduced. With so many characters, there's no other result that will happen other than chaos, right? And Ivan finally gets quality screen time. I'm so happy. So much happened, but I'll probably make it a little clearer next chapter.
> 
> Oh, yeah, and translations:
> 
> Est-ce que tu aimes le Francais?-Do you like French?
> 
> Oui, je pense que il est un tres beau langue-Yes, I think it's a beautiful language
> 
> Anyway, I'll see you all next time!


	10. When You Start Falling

Chapter 10. When You Start Falling.

Arthur yawned from where he sat, rubbing at his tired eyes in a vain attempt to keep them open. He hadn't been sleeping well and he'd been working hard trying to study these damn spell books. The chaos everyone that barged into his life were causing definitely didn't help anything. He rubbed at the back of his neck as he struggled to focus on some of the Latin in front of him.

"You work yourself too hard, mon cher," Francis chuckled and Arthur shook his head, glaring at the Frenchman. He'd been there since the end of the day, more than happy that Alfred was Matthew and Gilbert's ride to the ice rink because there was no practice that day. Thankfully, they'd only sat in silence until that moment.

"I don't need your advice," Arthur said pointedly and Francis shook his head with a smile, standing up.

"It would do you good to relax every once in a while," Francis said with amusement and Arthur rolled his eyes, glaring at the books. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Francis' hands on his shoulders. He immediately stiffened and was about to retort when Francis started moving his hands, rubbing into Arthur's shoulders. Admittedly, it felt amazing, perfect for his stressed out life. But he couldn't actually allow himself to say something like that, right? Especially around the frog.

Any and all words were caught in Arthur's throat as Francis delicately set to work on a knot in his back and Arthur felt like he just about melted.

"The couch," Arthur stood up swiftly, pointing at the furniture against the wall. Francis blinked in surprise and Arthur scoffed, offering one last glance at his forgotten books before marching over to the couch and sitting down, his back to a space Francis could easily fit. "What are you waiting for?" Arthur muttered, choosing to ignore the blush that was _most certainly not_ rising in his cheeks. Francis just offered a small smile with a shake of his head before he sat behind the teen and started rubbing his back once again.

This time, his hands roved all around Arthur's back, unhindered by the back of a chair, and Arthur allowed himself to relax. It actually felt quite nice. It wasn't doing anything to make him feel more awake, but at this point he found himself hardly caring. He noticed his eyelids drooping, but he refused to surrender to sleep. This massage would end soon and then he'd get back to work. For now…he could just enjoy it.

He hadn't even noticed when he fell sleep, slumping to the point that Francis had to catch him.

"You work too hard," Francis muttered with a smile. He carefully positioned the both of them so that Arthur could not only rest comfortably, but Francis could also be comfortable. That, and he could see Arthur's cute sleeping face.

* * *

Gilbert was happy to be back on the ice. He was not happy to have a hockey stick shoved in his hands. He looked at Matthew, who dangerously twirled the stick in his hand. Ice skating was fine. But Matthew seemed strangely serious about hockey. Gilbert honestly feared for his life.

"Hold it like this, alright?" Matthew showed him the proper grip and Gilbert mirrored him. Okay, this was…easy. He could do this. "We won't do anything with a puck today, that can be tomorrow. For now, let's focus on mobility. You're catching on pretty quick, after all."

"Yeah," Gilbert sighed and Matthew skated behind him. Gilbert jumped when he felt Matthew's hands on his back. He viciously ignored the blush on his face as Matthew straightened his back to a good position.

"Better," Matthew nodded, skating backwards so that he was in front of Gilbert again. Damn, he wanted to learn how to do that. "Let's start with learning how to stop."

"Do I have to hold this the entire time?" Gilbert asked and Matthew just smiled, holding his own hockey stick happily. Gilbert glanced over to the stands, where Alfred was currently absorbed in his phone. There was no practice that day so he was more than happy to drive them to the rink together. Mostly, he wanted to avoid Ivan. That much was made painfully obvious when he all but ran them to the car at the end of the day, only for Gilbert to faintly see Ivan not trying very hard to follow them.

"Let's get moving," Matthew nodded, turning around with practiced grace. "You learn a lot faster with no training wheels, remember? I won't help you up when you fall today."

"Gee, thanks," Gilbert smirked, skating forwards easily. That was good, he could at least do that without trying too hard. Matthew skidded to a stop, showing Gilbert what to do, and Gilbert mirrored him easily enough, though he lost his balance at the very end and nearly fell over. He stumbled backwards a few times, which was a bad idea, but he managed to get back to his rightful standing position after probably seriously hurting something.

"Don't try so hard," Matthew giggled, another weird sound Gilbert never would have expected to come out of his own mouth. "If you're going to fall, sometimes it's just easier to fall. Don't hurt yourself even more by trying to stay standing. This isn't figure skating, after all. Hockey players don't care about grace."

"Says the one that skates around like a fucking princess," Gilbert muttered.

"Hm?" Matthew raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Gilbert muttered.

"Let's try again," Matthew smirked, skating pretty quickly down one end of the rink. Gilbert followed him closely behind, the damn stick becoming really obnoxious really fast. He skidded to a stop successfully this time and smirked triumphantly. He looked to Matthew, who just smiled with a nod. "At least act like there's a puck in front of you so you know what to do with the stick while you move."

"You're so helpful," Gilbert sighed. He had actually been proud of that, too. But it was just a regular day for Matthew, who knew how to do all of this in his sleep. "Say, how long have you even been playing hockey?"

"Um, let me see," Matthew mused. It was still a wonder to Gilbert how he could stay so perfectly still while standing on ice. "My parents had me join a Junior league when I was, like, 4 or 5, I think…"

"You've been playing for that long?" Gilbert asked in disbelief. "And you're not going into the NHL?"

"I'm not that into sports," Matthew huffed. "Besides, I'm not that good. It's just practice that has me this good, not talent. Not even Al wants to just do sports for a living. It's a nice hobby, I guess."

"Yeah," Gilbert snorted. "A hobby that gets you bruised and sore for weeks."

"You get used to the pain after a while," Matthew shrugged. "It's like when you learn guitar. You get callouses over your fingertips eventually, right?"

"I don't think it's really the same thing," Gilbert laughed and Matthew laughed as well.

"Let's try something else, okay?" Matthew offered, skating backwards to the middle of the rink. Most of the people there now were little kids with their parents, skirting around the edges, so the middle was perfectly free for the two of them to use. Gilbert smirked. He was going to get good at this skating thing, he was sure of it.

* * *

Gilbert was learning quite fast, Matthew had to admit. They'd been at this for two days and he was pretty mobile and nimble on the ice. Not quite as good as Matthew, but it was really impressive, especially considering the fact that he'd only just started yesterday. Gilbert smirked triumphantly as he finally mastered skating backwards, pumping his fist in the air happily.

"Great job," Matthew giggled slightly. That was when he heard the loud ruckus. The familiar sound of his team waltzing in. Matthew checked the time. Free skate was almost over…because his team was coming to practice. "Shit," Matthew cursed under his breath, skating to Gilbert quickly, happy he had worn a sweatshirt with a hood. He swiftly covered Gilbert's…his head with the hood. Hopefully his team wouldn't see him.

"What is it?" Gilbert asked curiously, looking at Matthew.

"My team's here," Matthew muttered. "I really can't have them seeing me…you like this."

"Aw, do I embarrass you, Mattie?" Gilbert smirked. "What if I just shouted from the rooftops that I was here?"

"I will pull you out of here with that curl, I swear it," Matthew vowed and Gilbert groaned, but followed Matthew to the end of the rink anyway. Matthew bit his lip as he glanced at his team, who were getting their gear on a little to the distance.

"Hey, that's your team, right?" Alfred asked as they approached him, taking off their skates.

"Yeah," Matthew sighed. "We're leaving before they find out I was here."

"Afraid they'll think you're not cool enough?" Alfred laughed and Matthew hit him upside the head.

"Just hurry up so we can get out of here," Matthew sighed. Gilbert finally managed to rip his feet out of the skates and forced on his shoes as he barely managed to catch up with Matthew, who was barely out of the rink on time. "I swear, if they saw me skate like you, I'd never hear the end of it."

"Hey, I thought I was improving," Gilbert pouted.

"You are, I promise," Matthew sighed. "Like I said, I got to where I was with a lot of practice. Over 10 years of practice. You have two days."

"I feel like I should take this as an insult," Gilbert smirked. He was teasing him. Matthew rolled his eyes and ripped Gilbert's skates from his hand to return them quickly and departed out of the building, headed straight for the car. They had enough practice for one day, anyway. Matthew checked his phone. Multiple people from the team had texted him, asking if he was okay to practice. Matthew just told them he had too much homework, but he'd be ready for the game.

Matthew waited impatiently by the car as Gilbert and Alfred walked up to him, laughing about nothing together. Gilbert had taken off the hood and Matthew warily looked around the parking lot to make sure none of his team were out there to catch him in his lie. No one was there. Everything was fine.

Before long, all three of them were in the car and driving away.

"You're way too stressed out about appearances, Mattie," Gilbert smirked from the backseat and Matthew shot him a glare. "You're not like that around anyone else."

"Well, I have a lot of pride when it comes to hockey," Matthew muttered. "Besides, if I'm not good enough, I'm off the team. Can't have them thinking I'm not very good anymore after only a week."

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me," Gilbert laughed, patting his shoulder. He obviously wasn't mad so why did Matthew feel a need to defend himself so much?

"From what I saw, he's pretty good," Alfred shrugged as they reached a red light. "Better than me, if you ask for my opinion."

"Everyone's better than you," Matthew said bluntly and Gilbert began to howl with laughter. "And he's good, he's just not good enough to play hockey against anyone."

"You wound me," Gilbert snickered and Matthew rolled his eyes.

The rest of the car ride to Gilbert's house was filled with mindless chatter about nothing in particular. They didn't stay on one topic for too long, mostly laughing with each other. Finally, they stopped at Gilbert's house and Matthew sighed. Yet another night of lying to Ludwig, listening to irritated parents, and Gilbert's weird bird.

"So we're meeting at the rink tomorrow, too, right Gil?" Matthew asked as he started to step out, taking Gilbert's backpack with him.

"What time does it open?" Gilbert asked. "I'd be more than ready after a good run in the morning."

"At least let me enjoy my Saturday," Matthew sighed heavily. "I'll text you tonight."

"Sure thing," Gilbert salted him as Matthew closed the door to the car loudly. Alfred waved to him and drove off. Matthew sighed, trudging towards the house. If he was lucky, he could slink up to Gilbert's room and stay there the whole night. That would be preferable.

He nearly made it, too. But as soon as his hand was on the doorknob to Gilbert's room, Ludwig stopped him with a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Can I talk with you for a minute?" Ludwig asked, his voice laced with concern. Matthew tried not to wince.

"Yeah, sure, Lud, whaddya need?" Matthew asked, easily opening the door to Gilbert's room. Gilbird greeted them happily and Ludwig closed the door as they stepped through. He sat on the bed, as usual, and Matthew slumped into the desk chair, Gilbird nuzzling into his hair.

"I know you will react to this similarly to yesterday," Ludwig sighed heavily, like he'd been weighing over this conversation for quite some time, "but you are acting strange."

"This again?" Matthew snorted. "I swear, Luddie, I'm fine. There's nothing to be worried about."

"You aren't taking the bus home anymore," Ludwig noted. "In just this week, you have made friends with people I never would have expected you to. Like the student in charge of the Dark Magic Club."

"Hey, Arthur can be an awesome guy when he's not such a prick," Matthew shrugged. He had to really try to act like Gilbert here. Ludwig was really starting to suspect…but he didn't quite know what to think. "Am I doing anything bad, anyway?"

"No," Ludwig sighed. "That is what concerns me. Out of nowhere, you are doing well in class, taking an interest in all of your subjects. Why now?"

"Well, I've met some people," Matthew shrugged. "Let's say they're good influences on me." That wasn't entirely a lie. Gilbert was putting more of an interest in school, which was evident with his intent of studying. He'd tried as hard as he could on Matthew's math test that day, too.

"Never mind," Ludwig muttered, standing up. Matthew stood up as well, stopping Ludwig with a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, c'mon, I'm still your favorite big brother," Matthew tried with a smirk.

Ludwig shook his head, continuing on his way. "If you don't want to tell me about it, it's your business."

Matthew stood, shell-shocked, as he watched Ludwig leave Gilbert's room, closing the door behind him. Matthew groaned as he flopped onto Gilbert's bed. This was going horribly and he knew it. He was tricking Gilbert's brother! He was a terrible person. Ludwig knew something was up, too…He had to find some way to talk to Gilbert about it, get his opinion. Maybe he could help Matthew out. Maybe they'd decide to drop this façade just for Ludwig. Matthew felt terrible for tricking him…

* * *

"I figured it out~," Gilbert said in a sing-song voice as they drove away from his house and to Alfred and Matthew's.

"Figured what out?" Alfred asked and Gilbert smirked from the back seat.

"You remember how you referenced that crush a little while ago," Gilbert said simply and Alfred stiffened.

"What?" Alfred scoffed. "There's no way you figured it out."

"You know, you really suck and hiding your emotions," Gilbert snorted. "It was so painfully obvious when Ivan was in the clubroom and said he'd talk to you."

"Now, wait a sec-"

"And then there's the way you blatantly avoided talking to him after school," Gilbert continued. "You all but ran to the cover of the car!"

"It's not like that," Alfred muttered. "I just…uh…I owe him money, yeah. And I don't have it yet to give it back to him."

"What is he, the mafia?" Gilbert dead-panned and Alfred sighed. "Please, it's not like I'll tell anyone. It's just great information to know. Let me just tell you, it's fucked up that you're into someone as creepy as him."

"He's not…creepy," Alfred muttered.

"Yeah, and I'm not awesome," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "I mean, how long have you even known him? Because I've known him for a few years. He's a messed up guy." Gilbert shuddered a little bit at remembering those times…

"I don't need to be criticized for my feelings," Alfred said as they stopped at the house and Gilbert happily climbed out at the same quick speed as Alfred. He was determined not to let him get away. "Besides, I never said it was him."

"That blush on your face says otherwise," Gilbert snickered as they walked up to the front door. It bugged Gilbert how they just let their car sit out on the driveway, not even in the garage. Their parents and those spots taken up, apparently.

"It does not," Alfred protested and the blush on his face actually grew. Gilbert laughed even harder. "Fine, if we're talking about feelings, we can talk about the way you act around Mattie."

"Like what?" Gilbert snorted.

"Oh, don't pretend that you don't get all blushy when he holds onto your hand," Alfred smirked. "Or when he's on the ice, acting all confident, you can't take your eyes off of him! And you always have to act like you're impressive, even more than usual. Like it's so important you've got your perfect image for him."

"Please, I don't feel anything for him," Gilbert said bluntly. He really didn't. So what if all of that…might have been true. Matthew was a close friend, that was it. They'd gotten to know each other just a few days ago, after all. They only knew so much about each other already because they had to because of that stupid spell. "Nothing like you with Ivan."

"Oh, yeah? Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to kiss him," Alfred smirked, standing in front of the front door, waiting for Gilbert's response.

"Well," Gilbert smirked. "At this point, that would be kind a like kissing myself, wouldn't it? That'd be kinda weird." He happily bypassed Alfred and walked inside of the house. But he couldn't ignore the way his gut had _twisted_ when Alfred mentioned kissing Matthew. Why had it done that? It wasn't like he was weak at the knees, but it was a little hard to keep walking…

Fuck, no, this wasn't happening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the couply moments. First FrUK, then a small confession out of Alfred and Gilbert? So much fluff, we at least got a little angst from Ludwig, who's desperately trying to figure this out on his own, but it's not going well. Oh, hopefully everything will work itself out soon enough! Bear in mind we still have, like, four people in the main plot that don't know their secret; Ludwig, Feli, Lovi, and Kiku. So that's fun.
> 
> Anyway, mostly fillery I guess, but some stuff happened here and there. I hope you enjoyed. I'll see y'all next time!


	11. When You Accidentally Confess

Chapter 11. When You Accidentally Confess.

Gilbert was exhausted, that much was painfully obvious. They'd met at the rink that morning, since it was Saturday, and the rink was a little busier this time. Plus, Gilbert was still sore from three days of practicing hockey. He was pretty good, too, after just a few days. He could survive a game…hopefully.

"Let's go ahead and stop for today," Matthew suggested, holding onto Gilbert's arm as he attempted to glide past him. Gilbert's eyes widened as he flashed a bright smile.

"Are you serious?" Gilbert asked and Matthew nodded. "Fuck yes!" Gilbert cheered and immediately rushed over to where they had left their bags in the stands. A group of little kids learning hockey were coming in anyway. Matthew laughed slightly as he followed him. By the time Matthew made it to solid ground, Gilbert had already wrestled off one skate. "We should still hang out today. I mean, it's not like either of us are actually doing anything today, right? At least, until that party. You're going to that, aren't you?"

"It would be a little weird if you didn't go to the party one of your friends was hosting," Matthew chuckled, shaking his head. He sat down, expertly taking off the skates, hardly thinking about the actions anymore. "What would you have in mind? For hanging out, I mean?"

"Anything works," Gilbert shrugged. "You're my friend but all we've really done to hang out is tutoring and learning how to skate. As awesome as that shit is, I would love to do something interesting."

"Let's start with lunch," Matthew laughed, easily slipping on shoes and walking with Gilbert to the front.

"Your brother left the car, right?" Gilbert asked and Matthew nodded. He'd managed to convince Alfred to work it out with a friend so he could drop the car off at the rink and go off and do whatever he wanted that day. And Matthew could finally drive after being away from his car for so long. They returned their skates and Gilbert nearly sprinted to the car, Matthew walking at his own pace behind him.

It was kind of cute how excited he was to hang out with him. He always seemed so happy. Even when Arthur had told them he couldn't do anything for them for the weekend, he just shrugged it off like he didn't mind. He found the fun in pretty much everything. He'd even managed to make Matthew laugh when they were going over Calculus.

"You're still not allowed to drive, ever," Matthew reminded him. He pulled out the spare keys Alfred had given him on Wednesday 'just in case' and the two climbed into the car. Matthew would have to get used to driving his car while being a different size, but he could figure it out easily enough.

"This car is awesome, though," Gilbert smirked from the passenger seat. "You've gotta teach me someday."

"You can learn how to drive stick and ruin someone else's car," Matthew laughed. "You're only allowed to drive this once you can prove to me that you've mastered driving with another car."

"Whatever," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Let's eat! C'mon! I'm starving!"

"Where do you even want to go?" Matthew laughed slightly.

"I don't care," Gilbert shrugged. "Just take me somewhere you want to go."

Matthew hummed, mulling through his options in his head before deciding. "Fine, as long as you're okay with anything."

It felt great as he pulled out of the parking spot and felt his car purr. He couldn't hide the smile and slight laugh that escaped his throat as he drove off. It was nice to be able to drive again. Sure, sitting in the back of a bus and being driven around had its perks, but nothing beat actually driving.

"You really like your car, don't you?" Gilbert laughed and Matthew blushed slightly, looking straight ahead.

"Please, like you won't freak out the second you see Gilbird again," Matthew scoffed.

"Well, I don't know how you could possibly miss your fucking cat," Gilbert grumbled. "You should see the scars! Well, you will eventually."

"I'm used to them," Matthew smirked. "I'm the one that bathes him, after all." Gilbert paled.

"You actually do that?" Gilbert asked, his eyes wide. "Why the hell would you put yourself through that kind of danger? Like, a dog? Sure, some of them even love water and baths. But a fucking cat?"

"I know how to deal with Kumamari," Matthew shrugged simply.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll learn his name eventually," Gilbert snorted.

"I know his name," Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Then tell me," Gilbert smirked.

"Kumakiro," Matthew said.

"Weird, that's different from the last name you gave me," Gilbert mused and Matthew's blush refused to go away. "You'd think you'd remember your own pet's name."

"At least I didn't name him after myself," Matthew said bluntly.

"One, my name is fucking awesome, don't knock it," Gilbert laughed. "Second, I got him when I was, like, five. Don't know why he hasn't grown but whatever. Of course I was gonna name him after myself when I was a kid."

"I'm sure," Matthew rolled his eyes.

"At least if I named him after myself, I remember his name," Gilbert said.

"I'll kick you out of this car," Matthew threatened.

"Oh, no, please, don't!" Gilbert teased. "I don't think I'll be able to survive," he gasped, "walking home!"

"Shut up!" Matthew laughed, punching Gilbert as he continued to drive. "I'll really do it if you keep doing that!"

"Better be careful, Mattie," Gilbert smirked. "I don't have a license, so you can't get pulled over."

"Or what, you'll get in trouble?" Matthew challenged and Gilbert narrowed his eyes at him. "I bet half of the people on the road don't even have a license with the way they drive."

"Like your brother?" Gilbert smirked and Matthew rolled his eyes.

"He passed his test," Matthew said, a little hesitantly. Okay, so maybe passing was a delicate word. More like, it was his fourth time taking the test and the instructor was nice. He was a lot better at stick shift than he was automatics, though. It focused his attention a little more, so Matthew could trust him. Gilbert, on the other hand…

A short while later, they reached Matthew's destination and Gilbert burst out laughing inside of the car. Matthew just shook his head and left, half tempted to lock other inside.

"IHOP?" Gilbert snickered as they walked up to the building.

"What, so you don't want pancakes?" Matthew smirked, knowing the answer full well. Matthew usually craved pancakes all the time and he knew from Gilbert's constant complaining that he couldn't get Matthew's recipe quite right. So pancakes would be heaven for him right now. Besides, Matthew could go for some pancakes. It didn't even matter that it was lunchtime. It was always a good time for some pancakes.

"Nah, nah, I'll definitely eat my weight in them," Gilbert smirked. "I just think it's funny how much you fucking love them."

Matthew rolled his eyes and walked into the restaurant. They only waited about a minute before they were shown their seats and they were left alone with menus.

"So, what now?" Gilbert stretched is arms over his head, glancing at the first page of the menu. "This is kinda like a date, right?" Matthew ignored the blush that spread across his cheeks.

"It's really not," Matthew muttered.

"Whatever," Gilbert snorted. "So shouldn't we do that shitty 'get to know you' stuff?"

"It's really not a date," Matthew repeated himself. "For one, we're each paying for ourselves, right?" God, he really hoped Gilbert didn't intend on making Matthew pay.

"Well, in all technicality, I earned this from your parents for doing your chores," Gilbert mused, pulling out his wallet. "So we'll find out."

"Gil," Matthew sighed, shaking his head. He usually saved his money that he got from his parents, because he didn't have an actual job, and so he had enough money to pay for himself…

"What's one thing you've always wanted to do?" Gilbert asked, obviously very interested in the answer Matthew would give him. Matthew raised an eyebrow at him. "Come on, let's not bitch about money and actually get to know each other. We're friends, right? And who knows how long we're stuck pretending to be each other. So let's really get to know each other."

"I've always wanted to road trip across Canada," Matthew admitted. It was something he thought about a lot. He really liked Canada, even though his family had visited Vancouver once for a vacation. It was nice there, and he liked the people and the weather. He would love to live there, but going on a road trip would be a very close second.

"Yeah?" Gilbert smirked.

"And you, hot shot?" Matthew asked and Gilbert paused for a second.

"I really want to learn German," Gilbert said. "It's pretty much my heritage, you know? It still pisses me off my parents won't teach me."

Matthew hummed for a moment. Gilbert was willing to learn all of this stuff for the sake of Matthew's grades. The least Matthew could do would be to learn something for him.

"I wouldn't mind learning German," Matthew said after a short while and Gilbert just blinked at him.

"You…what?" Gilbert asked, his voice oddly small. Matthew giggled.

"You're basically learning French for me, which is really hard," Matthew shrugged. "And you're learning Calculus and how to write proper AP essays. So how about we try learning German together?"

"I think I love you," Gilbert blurted out and Matthew started laughing, Gilbert laughing as well. They were both so caught up in the moment they didn't notice the massive blushes on both of their faces. "How do you even learn a fucking language without spending a fortune?"

"We'll find out, I guess," Matthew shrugged. It was hard to stop the smile across his face with the way Gilbert was beaming. He started almost muttering to himself, going on about how awesome German was and how he was going to learn it and kick ass.

The waitress came to take their order, taking the menu with her.

"Hey, teach me German and I'll go on that road trip with you," Gilbert smirked and Matthew smiled.

"I'd like that."

* * *

Gilbert was feeling really happy. The smile refused to leave his face. Hanging out with Matthew all day was great. Pancakes were always fucking great, especially in this body. And they just talked. It wasn't forced or awkward or anything. They were just friends there to be friends. It was perfect. They went to the park after lunch and Matthew bought fucking breadcrumbs to feed the birds, the nerd, and attracted so many, he was almost buried by them. Gilbert was incredibly happy he'd snapped that picture of him.

He was almost sad when he had to go home. Matthew dropped him off before walking back to Gilbert's house, saying it was fine for him to walk. After all, they had to be ready for Feliciano's party later that night. Gilbert was almost looking forward to seeing what Matthew would decide for his costume, despite the fact that all Gilbert would see would be…himself. In one of his own costumes. But, whatever, Matthew was on the inside, so that was all that mattered.

However, in the time that it had taken Gilbert to walk up the stairs, Alfred had been alerted to his presence and dragged him into his room, forcing Gilbert onto his terribly messy bed.

"I need your opinion, dude," Alfred said, his facial expression serious. "Do I do Captain America or a bear?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Gilbert couldn't stop the laughs that escaped his throat and Alfred pouted slightly.

"Yeah, I am," Alfred frowned.

"I thought your original plan was Captain America," Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell are you so self-conscious about it now?"

"Things…changed…okay?" Alfred muttered.

"Yeah?" Gilbert smirked, leaning closer. "What things?"

"I convinced Ivan to come, alright?" Alfred sighed, slumping onto the bed beside Gilbert. "And I have this shitty bear costume and I'm afraid he won't like the Captain America one."

"What the hell are you, a teenage girl?" Gilbert asked.

"This is serious!" Alfred whined.

"Whatever," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Let me tell you, you aren't impressing anyone with a fucking bear costume. Meanwhile, Captain America lets you show off your muscles. I don't give a shit if Ivan doesn't like Captain America, he's gonna notice that at least."

"You think so?" Alfred asked.

"God, I can't believe I'm giving relationship advice to you about Ivan," Gilbert buried his face in his hands. He hated Ivan. With a fucking passion. He was a creep and a jerk. And yet he was helping one of his new unlikely friends hook up with him? This was messed up…

"I could give you advice with Mattie, if that'll help anything," Alfred smirked. Gilbert looked up to glare at him.

"One," Gilbert said clearly, "I won't ever need that because there's nothing like that between us. Two; if I did, I know plenty about him already to probably sweep him off his fucking feet. Hell, I've already told him I'd take him on a road trip across Canada."

"Yeah, and I'm sure he's told you about ice cream," Alfred smirked, "and his favorite subject, what he's a total nerd about when no one's looking, his all time favorite show, the music he listens to, maybe even his favorite animal?"

"Give it time," Gilbert shrugged. "I've known him less than a week. You've known him a little longer, so what?"

"A little longer?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever, this is all hypothetical, anyway," Gilbert stood up. "Do the Captain America, I'm gonna figure out whatever the hell this kids' got for a costume."

"Last I checked, he had Spider-Man somewhere in there," Alfred shrugged, looking thoughtfully into his closet, where Gilbert could see his Captain America suit hanging perfectly in the center. "You sure about the Captain America, dude?"

"I'll punch you the next time you ask me," Gilbert said bluntly and Alfred frowned, but Gilbert was finally allowed to leave, so he didn't complain.

He nearly tripped over the damn cat on his way to Matthew's room before he started rummaging through his closet. Gilbert hadn't gone very deep into Matthew's room, respecting his privacy and all of that. But now, he was almost kind of curious to see what he could dig up. Going through his closet, Gilbert was able to quickly figure out that Matthew was the kind of guy that saved schoolwork all the way from Kindergarten and lost his socks a lot.

Eventually, he did find that Spider-Man costume. Honestly, he didn't peg Matthew as the Spider-Man kind of guy, but whatever. Gilbert shrugged. After a few minutes of more rummaging and finding only really old trinkets from past vacations, he decided to just go for the Spider-Man costume. What could it hurt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lame filler chapter is lame. Not a lot could happen this chapter because I wanted all next chapter to be the party. So whatever. Anyway, there was a couply moment up there again, so they're getting closer. And Gil and Alfred are getting closer as friends, so adorable. 
> 
> Yeah, shorter chapter, but that's fine, right?
> 
> I'll see y'all next time!


	12. When You're A Little Drunk

Chapter 12. When You're A Little Drunk.

(Quick A/N, there will be some alcohol in this chapter, but only this one.)

Matthew didn't like parties. He didn't like the idea of being around so many people at once. But Gilbert struck him as someone who would really enjoy parties. A lot. So he had a huge smile on his face as he walked in. Feliciano had picked him and Ludwig up (Matthew swiftly realized the horrors of letting the Italian drive ever) and drove them over and the party seemed to be really picking up speed. Matthew fought back the urge to run or panic.

Ludwig had gone for an extremely simple costume; devil horns and a tail. Feliciano had been more than happy to see it, practically glowing that Ludwig was going along with his idea. Matthew, on the other hand, had trouble finding something that would really fit Gilbert for a costume. Then again, he could pull off pretty much anything as a gag costume. After a while, Matthew had found pretty ample supplies for a vampire costume, oddly fitting, and went with that. Fangs were slightly uncomfortable, but at least he didn't have to wear contacts and a wig to look creepy. Gilbert had one of those overly dramatic capes for it as well, it was kinda funny. But it worked. For Gilbert.

Feliciano talked all during the car ride, hand motions included, about how excited he was about the party. His grandfather had approved it while he was away or whatever and they had plenty of food and a good DJ and everything. Matthew vaguely wondered just how rich Feliciano was. Ludwig was…oddly quiet towards Matthew, who didn't try to start any conversation with him. Feliciano had taken notice, being more than happy to drive the conversation forward.

Once they reached the house and the door opened, Matthew was practically enveloped by the music and the bass he had already heard from the street. It was a wonder the neighbors hadn't called to complain. Then again, maybe the neighbors were there… Quite a lot of people were there, which was really no surprise, considering how popular Feliciano was and how fast the word spread. And nearly everyone was in some kind of costume, though most of them were half-assed.

Feliciano chimed above the music that he had made sure to get really good beer especially for Ludwig and Gilbert, though Matthew knew that it was mostly for Ludwig. The kitchen, thankfully, was quieter than the living room, though not by much. Feliciano proudly handed two bottles of beer to Matthew and Ludwig.

"Thanks, Feli," Matthew nodded to him with a smile. He could go for a beer, just one. Besides, Feliciano had said that his grandfather approved this, so he didn't mind that there was a mass of drinking teenagers at this party… Just one wouldn't hurt, he figured.

"I wanna dance, Luddie!" Feliciano chimed, all but dragging Ludwig back to the living room. Ludwig gave Matthew one glance and Matthew just held up his beer to him before taking a swig. Now all he had to do would be find Alfred and Gilbert. That couldn't be too hard. Matthew immediately went to find a Captain America. First, he glanced around the living room, but he didn't find any of the colorful red, white, and blue, so he decided to look around the other various rooms on the bottom floor. He wasn't sure if he wanted to risk going to the upper floor quite yet.

Eventually, he did find a colorful superhero costume, but it wasn't Captain America. Matthew had to force back a fit of giggles that threatened to escape when he saw that Gilbert had actually managed to find his Spider-Man costume in the back of his closet. He hadn't worn that in years! But Gilbert looked perfectly at home. And that was when he noticed who was standing near him. Ivan, who had decided against wearing a costume, was happily smiling while Gilbert forced a smile on his face. Just great…they were surrounded by people from their school and it was a well-known fact that Gilbert hated Ivan. He'd just get this over with quickly.

"Hey, Matt," Matthew smiled happily, speaking loud enough to be heard of the music. He pointedly had his back to Ivan. Not talking to him would be better than actually talking to him.

"Thank fucking God," Gilbert muttered under his breath.

"Let's go somewhere else, huh?" Matthew suggested. "It's a little cold here, don't you think?"

"Uh, sure," Gilbert nodded and Matthew narrowed his eyes. He wasn't that passive… "I'll…see ya, Ivan." Thankfully, it seemed he was struggling with the Ivan thing as well.

"It was great to talk with you, _Matvey_ ," Ivan had on a very happy smile as Matthew lead Gilbert away, back to the kitchen.

"That sick bastard is enjoying this!" Gilbert snapped.

"Gil," Matthew pressed. "It's not that big of a deal."

"He's a fucking creep," Gilbert muttered, glaring at the ground. That was when he noticed the beer in Matthew's hand. "I see you've gotten more comfortable with the concept of underage drinking."

"It's just one beer," Matthew shrugged. "And you're not having any."

"What?" Gilbert scoffed. "And why the hell not?"

"I know I have no tolerance for alcohol," Matthew rolled his eyes. "You do, and I'm only having one."

"Whatever," Gilbert rolled his eyes, a knowing smirk on his face. Before Matthew could say anything else, Gilbert continued. "I had no idea you were a Spider-Man fan."

"Okay, that was from years ago," Matthew protested. "Alfred wanted to go Trick-or-Treating for some stupid reason and he wanted to do Marvel. Spider-Man was the best choice, okay?"

"So you're into the whole spandex thing, is what I'm hearing," Gilbert smirked and Matthew shoved him away.

"Get over yourself," Matthew laughed. "You're the one with Dracula fangs and a cape."

"And I look sexy in it, as always," Gilbert said proudly and Matthew laughed.

"Whatever," Matthew smirked.

"C'mon, Birdie, I wanna dance," Gilbert said, holding onto Matthew's wrist and attempting to lead him to the living room.

"Birdie?" Matthew asked curiously. That was a new name.

"I was just thinking about the park today," Gilbert smirked. "Those fucking birds flocked to you. It's no wonder Gilbird likes you already."

"And you decide to nickname me Birdie?" Matthew couldn't help but giggle.

"It's an awesome nickname," Gilbert protested.

"Yeah, it's very cute," Matthew smiled. "I'll be sure not to tell anyone about how much you like cute things."

"I don't, okay?" Gilbert pointed at him before pulling him forcefully back into the living room. Matthew just laughed. He had to try to act like Gilbert again now that they were around so many people. He noticed that Gilbert bit his lip, forcing himself to act nervous, and shrunk a little into himself. Matthew gave him a glare. "What's wrong, Gil?"

"Nothin', Birdie," Matthew smirked. "I was just thinking about how adorable you are, you know how much I love cute things, right?"

The look in Gilbert's eyes told Matthew that he had accepted the challenge.

* * *

"Where'd Gil go?" Alfred asked as he came back from talking really quickly to some of his team. Ivan had decided not to, remaining with Gilbert, as dangerous as that was. Now that he'd come back, he found that Ivan was alone, watching some of the teenagers around them in apt interest.

"Matvey came and took him away," Ivan said simply and Alfred nodded with a sigh. Sure, Gilbert had absolutely nothing for Matthew…Whatever. He had to focus right now. There was a reason he'd invited Ivan, to ask him something important. Being Captain America was supposed to give him confidence, but at the same time it made him feel a little childish, especially around Ivan, who didn't even wear a costume.

"So, how come you aren't even in a costume?" Alfred asked. At the very least he had to pretend that he was confident. That was all that mattered. At least, that was what the websites all said.

"I do not have anything very impressive to wear," Ivan shook his head. "Nothing like you, anyway. That is a very detailed costume."

"You like it?" Alfred smirked. "I special ordered it online. He's, like, my favorite super hero."

"Of course he would be," Ivan laughed just slightly. This was good. There was a light-hearted air. Alfred knew that Ivan wasn't really comfortable in huge situations like this. He was more of a small, quiet group kind of person. But he had something important to do… "I find that I rather like the Winter Soldier. And Black Widow, she is from Russia, da?"

"You actually know about superheroes?" Alfred blinked in surprise.

"I have taken a…recent interest," Ivan smiled. And here Alfred thought the kid couldn't get any more perfect. Sure, he was annoying and they'd fight…occasionally, but he was cool. And he was into Marvel?

"Cool, man," Alfred smiled. "Cool. Hey, it's a little loud in here, don't you think? You wanna go outside?" They were near the door that lead to the backyard, anyway. That would be the better place to do what he wanted, after all.

"I would be very happy to," Ivan nodded and Alfred smiled. Awesome. Stage 1 of his plan was done. Get Ivan alone and in a place where he was comfortable. Soon, they'd be at Stage 10!

* * *

"What are you doing?" Matthew couldn't stop the laugh that escaped as he watched Gilbert trying to break dance on the floor. They'd stopped trying very hard to pretend to be each other since Gilbert convinced Matthew that they both deserved a third beer.

"I'm dancing, obviously," Gilbert panted from the exertion. He eventually gave up, sitting down. He looked up at Matthew, who was holding two beers he'd just retrieved from the kitchen. Gilbert's cheeks were already rosy and he tripped fairly often, but it wasn't terrible. Meanwhile, Matthew just felt pretty damn happy. This was getting pretty fun, too.

"You suck at dancing, no offense," Matthew laughed and Gilbert took the beer from his hands.

"I'm offended," Gilbert smirked, taking a long swig of beer. "Why the hell were you saying you don't have a tolerance, man? You're handling this great!"

"I'm sure," Matthew laughed as he watched Gilbert sway without quite noticing it. His words were beginning to slur, it was quite fun to watch, really. "Hey, do you know where Alfred went? I can't find him anywhere."

"Eh, based on his plan thing or whatever," Gilbert shrugged, looking at his bare wrist like it was a watch, "right about now, he'll be making out in the backyard with Ivan."

"Oh, my God," Matthew laughed. It was about time Alfred worked up the guts to tell Ivan about his feelings. It was just a shame that Matthew wasn't around to give him advice.

"Hey, speaking of bros," Gilbert smirked. "How's mine doin'? He staying out of trouble?"

"He's fine, Gil," Matthew smiled. He couldn't bring down the mood now and tell Gilbert about how Ludwig wasn't quite buying their act. He could save that for another day.

"Holy shit!" Gilbert's eyes widened as he turned his full attention to some corner of the room. Matthew followed where he was looking and, after some focusing, he saw Francis attempting to convince Arthur to go onto the dance floor. Meanwhile, Arthur adamantly stayed sitting on a couch with a book in hand. Matthew couldn't stop himself from laughing at the scene. "That nerd, he brought a book with him to a fucking party?"

"Do you think he's actually noticed yet that Francis totally wants him?" Matthew asked curiously and Gilbert bust into even more laughter, nearly dropping his beer if Matthew hadn't helped him catch it. It didn't even occur to Matthew that he shouldn't even be giving Gilbert more to drink.

"I like you without your filter, Birdie," Gilbert smirked, holding out his beer. "They totally wanna have sex, Arthur's just gotta stop twisting his panties into knots." Matthew rolled his eyes, laughing as he clanked his beer against Gilbert's as they both took fairly long drinks. God, it felt really good to just let loose and just drink. It was such a great feeling.

"It looks like all of our friends are hooking up," Matthew smiled. "Even Ludwig and Feliciano are finally doing something together."

"Yeah, and how long ago did they go upstairs again?" Gilbert smirked. "Luddie might be a little stick in the mud, but Feli's got enough emotions for both of them." The song changed and Gilbert smirked, downing the rest of his beer in one shot. Matthew did the same as Gilbert started pulling him further into the room. Matthew barely had enough time to place the empty bottle on a table. "I fucking love this song!"

"Oh, I could tell!" Matthew laughed as Gilbert started dancing, far sloppier than he was earlier, practically tripping over his own feet. Matthew really liked dancing as well and he wasn't afraid of what anyone else would think anymore. So he danced with Gilbert. They were both hot, sweating, at least slightly drunk, and awkward. And it just felt perfect in that moment.

Like they should just dance forever together.

The only thing Matthew held back was how much he really wanted to kiss Gilbert in that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look at me avoiding that cliché of them getting drunk at a party and getting together. For once. I'm pretty sure I've done that a lot before. Anyway, Alfred's doing his thing with Ivan, but since it's not a main ship, I'm not going to go through the awkward confessing stage and we can just skip to when they're together. They've got their shit together, everything's fine.
> 
> In other news, I've developed a terrible plot bunny I can't work on until this is over or bad things will happen to both stories (I know from plenty of experience). And! And! If any of you watch RWBY, y'all remember the dance team JNPR did in Volume 2? Guess who learned it for a cosplay contest? This girl! I'm awesome!
> 
> Anyway, enough about me, I'll see you all next time, where hopefully the chapter will be longer.


	13. When You Get Caught

Chapter 13. When You Get Caught.

Gilbert's head hurt in the morning, but he'd been through worse, so who was he to complain? Besides, it had been a fun night. In the morning, with that cat lying on his stomach, he thought through the night and couldn't help but smile at the memories. With Matthew. They were all fantastic, awesome, perfect. And, even for a second, there were times Gilbert clearly remembered wanting to kiss Matthew.

But that was just the alcohol talking. Besides, he was in Matthew's body and Matthew was in his, so that wouldn't work out no matter what. Yeah, he totally didn't have a thing for Matthew. But, still…thinking about the way Matthew danced with his caution thrown to the wind…

Goddammit.

Gilbert got up and went straight for the shower. He didn't care what time it was or that it was a Sunday. He could at least think a little clearer in the shower, he usually did anyway. He cranked up the heat and didn't even wait for the water to get warm before stepping in. So…Matthew.

Could he really? No, no way, there wasn't a chance. He was a shy, little nerd. He was nothing like Gilbert. But…that damn smirk on his face when he's on the ice, that laugh when he really thinks something is funny, the way he relaxed around people he knew really well…it was all really…

…

Cute.

Oh, dammit. Gilbert placed his forehead on the tile. He couldn't really like Matthew that way, could he? He was in his body, for crying out loud! How awkward would that be if he just…lived in his crush's body. Oh, that was really fucking awkward. This was a problem. If it even was a thing, which it really wasn't…

Was it?

He'd never even seen Matthew, really. He'd never seen Matthew smile in his own body, hear him talk in his own voice. All Gilbert had seen was his own body. That was messed up, too, right? He couldn't be in love with himself, he wasn't _that_ narcissistic.

He remembered the first day he'd met Matthew, when they'd run into each other and fell. And accidentally kissed. Purely accidental. But just thinking back to it made Gilbert's lips tingle. What was he, some kind of fucking teenage girl giggling in his room? No, he wasn't about to start some diary entry all about Matthew and gossip about him to his friends. That wasn't the way this rolled.

And yet he found himself reminiscing in the shower, slightly regretting the fact he hadn't done anything with Matthew while they were both drunk. At least while they were drunk, there was an excuse to do something stupid. They wouldn't really get a chance to do something like that again, would they?

Why was that a disappointment?

"Dude!" Alfred knocked loudly on the door. How late had Gilbert slept in if Alfred was already awake? "Get the hell out, I've gotta shower too, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on," Gilbert grumbled, turning off the water. Okay, so what if he did like Matthew? What then? They were completely different, Matthew wouldn't think the same way about him, would he? Definitely not, but still…there was a chance…Why did that fill him with so much hope? Gilbert quickly got dressed in the baggy clothes he'd brought with him, bypassing Alfred without even noticing him.

Who should Gilbert even talk to in order to try to figure this out? Sure, Francis was "great" with relationship advice, but he was busy ogling over Arthur. And Antonio…wasn't exactly that into relationships. So that left him pretty alone. Unless Ludwig somehow got into a relationship, then he could ask him. He'd just have to text him, so Ludwig doesn't start asking questions…

Gilbert groaned when he made it to Matthew's room and shut the door, hitting his head against the wood. Why was this so hard to deal with now? He'd been hanging out with Matthew for nearly a week now. Yeah, it hadn't even been a week! There was no way he'd get a crush on him that fast, right? That was just plain stupid. And he wasn't stupid.

He listened to the sound of the shower running. Alfred had been in a fantastic mood since the party. Which meant that his relationship life was running smoothly. Maybe Gilbert could consult him. They were friends, right? And Alfred trusted Gilbert enough to talk to him about Ivan. So…yeah, maybe Gilbert could go to him for advice…

He waited patiently for the sound of the shower to stop before he left the room just in time for Alfred to come out. He was actually wearing a towel today, most likely because his parents were actually there that morning. Without a word, Gilbert held onto his arm and roughly pulled him into Alfred's room.

"Dude, what the hell?" Alfred asked. "You alright?"

"I need your…advice," Gilbert muttered, not quite looking at Alfred.

"And you couldn't wait for me to put clothes on?" Alfred asked slowly.

"It's important," Gilbert sighed and Alfred raised a brow, but he stayed standing, looking at him. "I think I might…really like someone, but I'm not sure…"

"You? A crush? No," Alfred smirked, shaking his head and Gilbert narrowed his eyes at him. He had almost forgotten that Alfred already thought Gilbert had a thing for Matthew.

"I never said it was a crush," Gilbert scoffed. "If anything, it's more like a squish, alright? Nothing…major, or anything."

"Sure," Alfred snorted. "Keep going, maybe I can help you. I'm so awesome with relationships, after all."

"Yeah, because everyone knowns that a relationship with Ivan is a good idea," Gilbert rolled his eyes. Alfred shot him a small glare. "Whatever, doesn't matter. Anyway, I haven't known this…person for a while and I think it's stupid that I'd already feel like this about him so soon."

"Well, if you already feel this way, you must've gotten to know him really well, huh?" Alfred smirked.

"Anymore fucking teasing and I'm leaving," Gilbert snapped.

"Fine, fine," Alfred laughed slightly, putting his hands up in surrender, and terrifyingly, away from his towel. "If you think you feel that way, you probably do. My crush on Ivan lasted, like, forever, Mattie can totally attest to that. You're not some lovesick puppy, that's not your style. So if you feel like that, try it out."

"Try it out?" Gilbert asked bluntly.

"Don't fall for your feelings, but try 'em out," Alfred shrugged. "Go a day thinking about…whoever as your crush. If you really like the way that feels, stick to it. If not, then drop it."

"I really shouldn't have come to you for advice," Gilbert shook his head and Alfred pouted.

"Whatever, man, that was great advice," Alfred sighed dramatically. Gilbert went for the door. "Oh, yeah, you ready for your first hockey game?"

"Shit," Gilbert groaned. That was today, right…That was why Alfred had gotten up so early. They had to go to the rink. Great. Matthew was going to be there and Gilbert couldn't just fail and lose the game, now could he? Especially since…

Since he probably had a crush on him.

* * *

Ludwig was…stressed out. Not only did he have three tests on Monday, for some reason, but he had to deal with his brother. Now, this was a usual occurrence; trying to make sure he stayed out of trouble, getting him to class on time, not pulling pranks. But recently? He'd been acting strange. His personality just seemed…off. It certainly didn't help that Gilbert was never around anymore to talk with him. He was busy with the new, odd friends he was making. Ludwig couldn't understand it.

They hadn't gone for a run that day. Ludwig was still tired after staying up so late for the party. He was awake, though, when Gilbert left the house, saying he was going to watch someone play hockey. Which was fine, Gilbert had every right to do whatever he wanted to. Ludwig was going to spend time with Feliciano, Lovino, and Kiku anyway. Still…he couldn't help but wonder what was going through his brother…Sudden, good grades, no longer getting into trouble, and he locked himself in his room more often than usual. Something had to be wrong.

"Are you alright, Luddie?" Feliciano asked, poking Ludwig's arm with a French fry. They were eating at some random place Ludwig had agreed to without thinking. He had been so distracted lately.

"Fuck, not even potatoes has the bastard talking," Lovino noted and Ludwig rolled his eyes.

"I am fine," Ludwig sighed, looking at the food he'd ordered, also without thinking. It was hardly healthy, but one day wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I mean no offense," Kiku said. "But you certainly don't look fine."

"It's Gilbert," Ludwig admitted. Kiku just had this…way of getting you to talk about your problems without trying. It helped that he was so accepting of everyone's problems. "He's been acting strange."

"Well, duh, anyone can tell that," Lovino rolled his eyes. "I mean, did you see him last night?"

"No," Ludwig sighed, glancing at Feliciano, who had coerced him upstairs for most of the night. Feliciano jumped slightly with a small blush and a wave.

"I think everything's fine," Feliciano shrugged. "He seems happier than usual and he's got more friends, so everything's a plus, isn't it?"

"I do agree that he has seemed a bit off as well," Kiku noted.

"Spy on him," Lovino shrugged.

"No, I really don't think that's a good idea," Feliciano said hurriedly.

"Whatever," Lovino rolled his eyes. "If he's hiding shit from you, you're his brother. You've got every fucking right to know, right?"

"I don't approve of spying," Feliciano said simply. "Wait, have you ever spied on me?"

"Once," Lovino nodded in thought. "I wanted to see what the fuck was wrong with your head once you started liking the potato bastard."

"I'm not sure I feel comfortable spying on him," Ludwig sighed. After all, if something was wrong, Gilbert would tell him. They were brothers, after all. That was what brothers were for.

"Hell, I'd do it for you," Lovino shrugged and Feliciano just looked at his brother in shock. "What? There's nothing wrong with it if he's keeping secrets."

"I would avoid invading other's privacy," Kiku muttered.

"I'm not going to spy on my brother," Ludwig sighed, finally starting to eat some of his food.

But…still…Ludwig wanted to know what was going on in his brother's life that had him acting so…strange.

* * *

Matthew sat at the edge of his seat beside Alfred. It was a strange position to be in, but that was fine. He was following the puck across the ice easily with his eyes. There was pretty much no time left on the clock and they were tied 2 to 2. His team just needed one more…He gripped onto his seat so tight it might have broken off, but he wouldn't have noticed. He could see Gilbert, who had slowed down significantly from the beginning of the game, trying to go after the puck. They'd gone over the basic rules of hockey while practicing, he was just hoping Gilbert remembered them. At least he hadn't broken any stupid rules like off-sides, otherwise Matthew would have had to wring his neck.

Gilbert finally got to the puck, but he was in no place to score anything, but there was a clear shot to someone else. Matthew tensed, hoping Gilbert noticed. He was about to get the puck stolen from him, too. Gilbert hit the puck to the other player and was promptly slammed into a wall by another player, who skated off in an attempt to stop the other player, who scored in a matter of seconds. The last seconds.

Matthew stood up and cheered with most of the crowd, Alfred hollering next to him.

Matthew quickly wormed his way through the crowd to where he'd seen Gilbert slump with the rest of the team, who were congratulating each other on nearby benches. Gilbert looked like he was just about tearing off his equipment. Eventually, the team scattered, some going home and others going to the locker rooms.

"Great job, Gil," Matthew practically beamed and Gilbert looked up from where he sat. A small blush decorated his face as he looked back down.

"Yeah, well, I fucking hate hockey," Gilbert panted, though there was a small smirk on his face. "Don't ever make me enter that death trap ever again."

"Come on, you barely even got hit," Matthew laughed and Gilbert rolled his eyes, taking off the last of his pads before standing up.

"Please don't tell me there's another game next week," Gilbert muttered.

"Hopefully we'll be back to normal by then or I'll just have to call in another favor," Matthew smiled and Gilbert groaned.

"Hey, you don't look half bad," Alfred chimed, finally coming up to the two of them. Matthew nodded, looking him over. There were a few bruises, but Matthew was used to that. They usually healed pretty quick anyway. "That last hit was rough, man, I so don't envy you."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go home and not leave your bed for days," Gilbert grumbled, shoving his gear into the bag he'd dropped there before the game. Matthew figured he didn't want to deal with trying to talk to the team in the locker room. "Fuck this game…" He rubbed at his neck and Matthew smiled.

"Thanks, though," Matthew offered. "It means a lot to me that you did this."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Gilbert smiled before nodding to the exit. "Let's get outta here before someone from your team wants to talk to you." Matthew just smiled and followed Alfred out of the rink. "You're so paying me back with German lessons."

"That's the plan," Matthew smiled and he noticed Gilbert look away, glaring at the sky.

"So, we're just dropping you off at my place, right?" Gilbert asked.

"Yeah, I have a ton of homework I have to work on," Matthew smiled. "You don't mind, do you Al?"

"Nah," Alfred shrugged. "I've always liked hockey games, the atmosphere is so…killer, I dunno. It's totally violent, I love it."

"Just like superhero movies, huh?" Gilbert smirked as they finally made it to the car. Matthew laughed as they entered the car, Gilbert practically taking up the entire backseat as he stretched out with a groan.

The drive to Gilbert's house was uneventful, mostly filled with Gilbert and Alfred teasing each other mercilessly. Matthew said his goodbyes once they made it to the house. When he looked back at the car as it drove away, he noticed that Alfred must have said something pretty bad. Gilbert's face had turned red and he lightly hit Alfred's shoulder as he back out.

Matthew hummed slightly to himself as he let himself into the house. The dogs were in the backyard for the time being so he was safe as he climbed up the stairs. The first thing he noticed, however, was that the door to Gilbert's room was open. Raising an eyebrow, Matthew walked into the room and saw…Ludwig. Rummaging through Gilbert's closet.

"What are you doing?" Matthew asked and Ludwig seemed to wince as he straightened out.

"I was…" Ludwig seemed at loss for words. He didn't want to lie but he didn't have the courage to tell the truth. Matthew knew what this was about. He still thought Gilbert was acting weird and he was trying to find out what was wrong…

"You were snooping through my stuff?" Matthew asked seriously. Ludwig didn't say anything. "Get out."

Ludwig was silent as he brushed past Matthew. He all but slammed the door to his own room closed. Matthew groaned as he closed himself in Gilbert's room. Gilbird tweeted in confusion and Matthew immediately pulled out his phone to text Gilbert.

_I need to talk to you about your brother._

_ya wat about him_. Before Matthew could respond, Gilbert sent another message. _u no, I really miss him being forced around ur bro all the time makes me feel like shit for leeving him_

_I think we should tell him. About us switching. He's already catching on and I feel bad for lying to him for so long._ Matthew bit his lip as he waited for a reply. Gilbird was attempting to make him feel better and he just smiled slightly at the bird. He felt terrible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand, I'm stopping here, hope y'all don't mind. Anywho, hockey finally happened and Gil was alright, not a star, but not terrible. He had Matthew as a teacher, what could possibly go wrong? And Ludwig's getting even more suspicious of everything, I feel so bad for him! He might just be the first one that's told, rather than finding out. Heheh.
> 
> Anyway, That's all for now, so I'll see you all next time!


	14. When You Fall Asleep

Chapter 14. When You Fall Asleep.

"Just…stay still," Arthur sighed and Gilbert nodded, following instructions. Arthur had a whole weekend to cook something up for them. This had to be something good, right? He stood beside Matthew in front of the table in the Dark Magic Clubroom with Francis, Antonio, Alfred, Ivan, Elizabeta, and Roderich observing. The room was starting to feel kinda cramped, but Gilbert wasn't really one to complain about too many people.

When Arthur started speaking in that weird language of his, that was when Gilbert heard the ringing. It felt like it was resonating through his entire head. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it was insanely uncomfortable. He heard Matthew wince beside him. He felt…something pulling him, but it wasn't very strong.

Finally, Arthur stopped and Gilbert finally opened his eyes. He was still Matthew.

"Nice try," Gilbert shrugged and their little audience let out a disappointed sigh. Though Ivan still had that sickeningly curious look on his face. He was so enjoying this, the sadistic bastard.

"Again?" Arthur glared at the book in his hands he'd read out of, like he could find what he did wrong. "This doesn't make any sense…"

"This magic is really interesting," Elizabeta chimed, walking over in an attempt to read over Arthur's shoulder. "Everything you've tried has been body switching spells?"

"Yes," Arthur grumbled, placing the book on the table and going to the bookshelf for another one to leaf through. They still had a few minutes before school started, anyway. Curiously enough, Ivan went over to read through the abandoned book. Actually read through it. Figures he would know Latin, of all people.

"You can read Latin?" Alfred asked curiously, nearly following the teen around like some kind of lost puppy. Gilbert rolled his eyes as he noticed Elizabeta glance between the two. Gilbert went over to talk to her while Francis started a conversation with Matthew, seeing how busy Arthur was.

"Please tell me they aren't together yet," Elizabeta whispered to him. "That would be so fun."

"Believe it or not, Al's brave enough to actually get shit done," Gilbert sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. And here he was hoping he wouldn't have to go an entire week as Matthew. Not that it was terrible…it was just he kinda missed being himself. Sitting in his normal classes sure would be a breeze now… "So don't even try your matchmaking bullshit."

"You'd be amazed how many plans she already has written up after last week," Roderich sighed and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me this includes me and whatever the hell you see with Mattie," Gilbert sighed. Then again, that might not be a bad idea. Since yesterday, he actually followed Alfred's advice, stupid as it was, and found that having a crush on Matthew really wasn't that bad of a thing. Looking over at Matthew, who was laughing and smiling with Francis and Antonio…Gilbert couldn't wait to see that smile on his rightful face.

"Oh, it's painfully obvious," Elizabeta smirked. Gilbert sighed. He was slightly torn between allowing Elizabeta to do her thing and have him and Mattie together by "chance" or to work up the guts to talk to him himself. "I'm surprised you haven't made your move yet. Or maybe you have and you're just not telling anyone!"

"I haven't done anything yet," Gilbert said before he could properly think it through. Knowing from experience, he dove to cover Elizabeta's mouth before she could properly let out a squeal. No one noticed, they were all being too loud. Alfred, Arthur, and Ivan were talking over the books, Alfred pretending he knew what he was doing. Matthew was busy, too. Thank God no one other than Elizabeta and Roderich would see the blush on his face. "Don't you dare go blurting it out," he said darkly.

"I've never seen you so flustered," Elizabeta gushed, forcing Gilbert's hand away. "Not even with any of your past relationships, you were so calm about it all. And here you're blushing! It's so adorable!"

"Keep your voice down, ya damn cow!" Gilbert hissed and she rolled her eyes.

"This was even obvious to me," Roderich sighed. "Then again, that may be Elizabeta rubbing off on me more than she should be."

"It's a good skill to understand relationships," Elizabeta smiled brightly, kissing his cheek before turning back to Gilbert. "I could help you out! We could set it all up so that you two can get together by-"

"Save it," Gilbert held up a hand to stop her before she got too caught up and the idea got too good for Gilbert to say no. He was going to do this himself, he decided. First, he had to be certain about Matthew. Which could take a bit. "I've got this."

"You?" Elizabeta snorted.

"What?" Gilbert scoffed. "I'm awesome at relationships. This'll be…easy."

"Yes, I'm sure you've impressed him quite a bit so far," Roderich sighed. "What with damaging his hands and allowing him to see just how well you're doing in school."

"I'm doing better," Gilbert protested. "I've got plenty of redeeming qualities. Hell, I played hockey for the kid. Pretty sure I'm never doing that bullshit again. Besides, he probably knows more about me than both of you guys. He's been living my life for a week, for crying out loud."

"I'd be more than happy to tell him even more about you," Elizabeta hummed, casually starting to walk over to Matthew.

"Don't you dare," Gilbert hissed, gripping onto her arm. Elizabeta knew him as a kid, of course he did embarrassing stuff. Matthew didn't have to know about any of that stuff. Nope, that stuff could be kept in the dark. Elizabeta just smiled brightly at him and the bell rang above their heads. Gilbert let out a sigh of relief before walking over to Matthew for them to swap homework. He'd actually gotten all of his done this time. It was actually pretty easy now compared to what he dealt with during Matthew's classes.

"I'll see you here during lunch, then?" Matthew asked curiously and Gilbert nodded with a smile.

"Sure thing," he said simply, taking Matthew's folder and storing it into his backpack. He couldn't help but yawn slightly. But he shook it off. It had been a long night last night. He was exhausted, sure, but for some reason he couldn't quite get to sleep. Everyone in the room had already filed out, Alfred and Ivan first, arguing about some disagreement about burgers or something stupid.

He and Matthew were the last out, aside from Francis and Arthur, who were also arguing about something like a couple. Gilbert shook his head when he realized Francis would have taken that as a compliment. He could make fun of them about that later.

It was only while Gilbert was walking to class that he remembered that the test would be returned to them. He nearly stopped in his tracks. Shit. How did he forget about that? He couldn't let Matthew down, but if the grade was bad, he would have to tell him, wouldn't he? Gilbert subconsciously bit his lip as he walked into the classroom, going right for his usual spot. He didn't even hear everyone else around him as he waited for class to start.

Even then, the teacher didn't give them their tests right away. He went right on with the lesson for the day and Gilbert grumbled under his breath. He couldn't focus while he was waiting for the test, which he could _see on the teacher's desk._ He couldn't let Matthew down, could he?

And then, finally, after being forced to learn something that didn't even make sense, the teacher gave them their homework assignment to work on early and started handing the tests back. Gilbert felt like his heart was in his throat, but he made himself look calm. He had to be calm. He was Matthew Williams, of course he was going to get a good grade on this test.

The teacher haphazardly placed the paper on the desk in front of Gilbert, face down. Gilbert carefully lifted it up so that he could see the front. He blinked at the red numbers at the top of the page, not even looking at the corrections further down. He couldn't believe it.

85%

"Yes!" Gilbert cheered to himself, nearly pushing his fist into the air when he remembered where and who he was. He immediately looked down at the paper, not looking at anyone else in the quiet room. He couldn't hide the smile on his face. It wasn't that hard, after all. Wicked. He got an 85% on an AP Calculus test. He was awesome.

* * *

Matthew hummed to himself as he calmly went through the easy science worksheet the teacher had handed the class when she realized she was tired of teaching for the day. This was going to be another high percent, no way around it. Besides, he could even use his phone if he needed to, not like he really did, though. He found that he didn't really mind giving Gilbert all of these high grades in all of his classes. Sure, it wasn't fair that Gilbert wan't doing it himself, but Gilbert was doing something harder.

He was faced with AP classes and yet he went ahead and did it. He wasn't the best, but he was trying his absolute hardest. If he could do that, then these worksheets weren't so bad. The way Matthew saw it, if Gilbert could take his tests for him, then Matthew was more than happy to help Gilbert ace his classes for as long as this spell went on for.

The bell rang and Matthew handed in the worksheet, even though it wasn't due until the next day. He was done. The teacher seemed surprised, but took it anyway. And then Matthew was on his way to lunch. He couldn't help but smile as he walked. He kind of liked easy classes, it made him feel a lot smarter than he did struggling with his college level courses.

He made a quick stop at the lunch line for food before making his way to the Dark Magic Clubroom. He was greeted by Arthur, who nodded to him from his usual seat. Matthew noticed the paper on the table first, well, the packet. It was a test. The math test Gilbert had taken last week. 85. Matthew nodded and glanced around to see Gilbert lying on the couch, his limbs strung every which way as he looked completely gone.

"He came in looking rather exhausted," Arthur said. "My guess is that he stayed up late last night."

"Makes sense," Matthew chuckled, sitting down at the table to look over what Gilbert had gotten wrong. They were simple mistakes to fix, so that was nice. He could help Gilbert with that sometime later. He easily pulled over his backpack from where Gilbert was sleeping and looked into what homework he had gotten already. If he had free time, he might as well do some homework ahead of time.

As Matthew got settled, he looked over at Arthur and found that he had actually pushed away most of his spell books and had some homework of his own in front of him, seeming to be some kind of science worksheet. Matthew smiled. It did Arthur some good to get away from some stress every now and then.

It was peaceful and silent in the room. That door worked wonders when it came to blocking out the noise from outside. Matthew did find himself looking over at Gilbert more often than he should have. Gilbert just looked so…peaceful. Happy. Almost cute. But, then again, that was Matthew's face. Not his usual expression, though. And that definitely wasn't the position he usually slept in. He wondered what Gilbert was dreaming about, if he had gotten around to dreaming yet. He hoped it was something happy…

There was a knock at the door and Matthew and Arthur shared a look. No one knocked. At least, no one they knew. But there was something almost familiar about the way this person knocked…

"Come in," Arthur said hesitantly. This wasn't someone they knew and it was obvious Arthur wasn't quite a fan of meeting new people, especially when he had no idea what to expect.

"Hello," the person opened the door and Matthew winced slightly. Yeah, it was Ludwig. And Gilbert wasn't even awake! But Matthew wasn't about to wake him up…but then again, this was important. They had decided, after all… "I was told I could find my brother in this room."

"Yes, well," Arthur motioned to the two vaguely. He wasn't willing to give away the secret but he didn't know if it was already given away or not.

"Hey, Luddie," Matthew nodded to him and noticed Gilbert was starting to stir on the couch. Okay, maybe he'd wake up and then they could talk about this. Ludwig was stiff and awkward, he had been since last night. When they ran, he didn't say a word to him, barely even looked at him. And they were silent on the way to the bus.

"Feliciano said you've been here before," Ludwig said stiffly and Gilbert stirred even more. God, Matthew wished he would just wake up. "I was looking for you to ask about-"

"Hey, Luddie, what the hell are you doing here?" Gilbert mumbled in his half-sleep daze. He looked up at Ludwig curiously and Arthur let out a small sigh, but didn't look up from his paper. Gilbert opened his eyes wide when he realized what he'd said. "Fuck. Shit, no, I mean maple or something…shit…" Gilbert sat upright and rubbed at his head. Meanwhile, Ludwig simply looked between the two of them in confusion.

"There's an explanation to this," Matthew blurted out.

"What is going on?" Ludwig asked. "You've been acting strangely, is it because of this club?"

"Not exactly," Gilbert shrugged with a small smile, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Damn, I wish I hadn't gotten up so early this morning."

"Gilbert," Ludwig said, apparently looking to Matthew for the time being. "What is happening?"

"I'm not actually Gilbert," Matthew confessed. They'd agreed, after all, that they would tell Ludwig. They just hadn't expected it to happen so soon or while Gilbert was half asleep.

"Keep your panties on," Gilbert muttered, holding up a hand while he yawned. "Let me wake up for this shit first."

"Are you…?" Ludwig seemed at a loss for words.

"I know you don't believe in magic and shit, Lud, but I didn't either," Gilbert laughed slightly, standing up to stretch before looking at him. "And I definitely didn't expect our meeting to go like this. Not that I mind talking to you again after a while…"

"Maybe you should sit down," Matthew offered and Ludwig blinked, looking between the two.

"Let's start from the top," Gilbert sighed when Ludwig didn't move. "The little cutie over there in my body is Matthew." Matthew couldn't stop the small blush that appeared on his face. Did Gilbert even realize he'd called him cute? "I'm in his body. Kinda wonky, it's the fault of the frowning bag of insults sitting by the books. He was doing a spell and messed up and we're…stuck. We've been stuck since…what, Tuesday?" Matthew nodded. Ludwig was processing what was in front of him and it was actually taking some time.

"I'm sorry we lied to you for so long," Matthew apologized and Ludwig blinked, looking at him carefully and then Gilbert. It was really obvious from this standpoint just how different they were and how it really didn't fit each other's bodies. Gilbert was standing proudly with a smirk on his face as always, apparently expecting for Ludwig to just gush about his awesomeness. Matthew, meanwhile, was slouching further into his chair shyly the longer the silence grew.

"How many other people know?" Finally, after all the silence, that was the only thing Ludwig had to say. Gilbert shrugged, like it was just no big deal.

"Let's see, there's Alfred and his boyfriend," Gilbert mused. "Franny and Toni, obviously, Eliza, Roderich…"

"They found out by an accident," Matthew said immediately and Gilbert just shrugged. They'd kept the secret while others just found out…It wasn't fair to him.

"And I'm the last to know?" Ludwig asked, almost sounding kind of angry. Gilbert finally seemed to notice.

"Well, I mean Feli, Lovino, and Kiku don't know," Gilbert shrugged. "You alright, there, Lud? You're not pissed about this, are you?"

"I'm fine," Ludwig sighed, turning around and leaving the room. Gilbert groaned and immediately followed after him. Matthew decided it might be best for him to just stay where he was.

"It might have just been easier to tell him right off the bat," Arthur sighed. "He might have thought that you were crazy, but it's easy to explain…eventually. There's no way around it when they know you well enough."

"Yeah," Matthew sighed heavily. But it was fine…right? Those two were brothers, so Ludwig couldn't be too mad at Gilbert for anything. If anything, he could be angrier with Matthew for keeping the secret. It wasn't like Gilbert was actually around to keep any kind of secret.

* * *

Riding the bus home was awkward. Eating dinner was awkward. Cleaning up after dinner was awkward. More random praise from Gilbert's parents about grades, more of Ludwig not saying a word to him. It was so…awkward.

Matthew closed himself into Gilbert's room as soon as he could, happy that Gilbird understood his problems. He barely had a chance to start working on homework when he heard that patient knock at the door. Matthew gulped. He didn't know what Ludwig and Gilbert had even talked about, Matthew liked to respect people's privacy. Matthew mustered up his courage before opening the door to see Ludwig standing, rather awkwardly, pretty much forcing himself not to look away from Matthew.

"Would you mind if I came in to talk with you?" Ludwig asked and Matthew just stood out of his way. Ludwig sat stiffly on Gilbert's bed and Matthew went to the chair. "Let's…start over. It's nice to meet you, my name is Ludwig."

"Matthew," Matthew offered a small smile. Okay, this was good, right? "I'm sorry again, for tricking you for so long."

"I understand," Ludwig said. "I wouldn't have believed you if you had told me. I…would have been worried about my brother's sanity. I still do…and my own."

"Magic was a little hard to wrap my head around," Matthew nodded with a slight laugh.

"You have gotten to know me pretty well," Ludwig sighed. "How long have you been acting as Gilbert again?"

"Since Tuesday," Matthew shrugged.

"I figure it is only polite to get to know you," Ludwig said. "As long as that is alright with you."

"I don't mind at all," Matthew smiled. "And, I promise, anything you said to… 'Gilbert' while I was here…I won't tell anyone."

Ludwig nodded.

"So, what do you want to know? I'll tell you anything," Matthew shrugged.

"You said you went to a hockey game Sunday," Ludwig said. "You went to watch a friend."

"I play hockey," Matthew smiled. "Gilbert had to play for me. Of course, I had to cheer him on. He actually wasn't that bad at it." Ludwig nodded, listening intently as Matthew began a story about one hockey game he went to. It was kind of nice, having yet another friend he hadn't expected before. By the end of the night, even Ludwig had told Matthew a few stories, most of them about Gilbert (wonderfully embarrassing stories Matthew would hold onto forever), and Matthew felt like he really had gotten to know Ludwig rather well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was haaard! I don't know why. Oh, well, whatever. I officially have this entire story planned out until the end. There's still a ways to go, but now I know exactly what's gonna happen and when. Everything's chill. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll see you all next time!


	15. When You Need Advice

Chapter 15. When You Need Advice.

Arthur walked calmly as he entered the building. He arrived about an hour before school started, as usual, to avoid the large crowds that always happened at the beginning of the day. He made a stop at his locker to sort through some of his things, pick up some of his novels he kept forgetting about. It was peaceful, quiet. Something he rarely had a chance to experience lately.

"You've come rather early," Francis' voice said suddenly and Arthur jumped before glaring around the door of his locker.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Arthur scoffed, shutting the door with three novels in his hand, his pack slung over one shoulder. It was uncomfortable, sure, but he had a short walk back to the Dark Magic Clubroom.

"I had a meeting with a French teacher, something about helping with a test," Francis shrugged. "Would you like for me to help you with that?"

"I'm fine," Arthur sighed, walking past the boy. Of course Francis was there to help create a French test. Their teachers must have been really lazy… Francis, however, didn't allow for Arthur to pass before he swiftly took the novels out of his grip. With a small smile, Francis let out a hum before turning to the direction of the clubroom. Arthur followed wordlessly.

No one he'd ever met had been so kind to him without being prompted first. And then there was Francis, who stayed when Arthur was angry and everyone left, who could somehow always tell if something was wrong, who was…holding the damned clubroom door open for Arthur with that damned smile of his. Arthur walked into the room first, switching on the light. He paused for a moment in front of the table before he turned around to Francis suddenly. Francis, taken by surprise (for once), paused with the books still in his hands.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked and Francis blinked.

"What do you mean?" Francis asked innocently.

"You…" Arthur took a deep breath. "You're being unnecessarily nice, you hover around me, you do nice things without being asked. What do you want from me?" That made sense. He must have wanted something, that was the only reason people were nice to him. Like in his English class, people were nice to him so that he could help them get a good grade in a group project.

"I just want you to be happy, mon cher," Francis smiled. Innocent. Arthur stared at him, ignoring the fact that his face was heating up slowly.

"Why?" Arthur asked.

"Why not?" Francis asked right back.

"Because no one does," Arthur shook his head. "No one is just…nice for no reason. You must want…something back!" Arthur may not socialize often, but he read plenty of books. And he observed plenty of people. Kids were nice for others to be nice back to them, adults did it, too. You owed favors and it seemed like some sort of endless cycle.

"You must learn to trust more," Francis chuckled. "I am your friend, of course I can be nice for no reason. It makes me more than happy to see you happy. If you absolutely need to give me something back, a smile and a 'thank you' will more than suffice. Although, if you would prefer, I wouldn't mind a kiss."

"Frog," Arthur muttered under his breath, turning around to face the table to hide the blush that grew quickly across his face. Francis simply continued to hum as he walked to Arthur's side, placing the books down finally, without a single note of fatigue. He really wanted nothing back…But…

Arthur closed his eyes tightly. He knew exactly where this was going. He read more than enough books to tell him exactly where this 'friendship' was going to go. And just the idea made butterflies flutter around in his stomach and make the blush spread like wildfire across his face. He clenched his hands into fists. He read enough to know about that reaction, too. Was it possible…he liked the Frenchman as well? But that…no…it wasn't…but it could…

Arthur shook his head furiously to shake out the thoughts.

"Are you alright, Arthur?" Francis placed a delicate hand on Arthur's shoulder and Arthur jumped, standing up straight and looking right at Francis, the blush still immensely present on his face. It spread deeper out of embarrassment as Arthur looked him over quickly. He had to decide this now or he was going to over think it for days and he couldn't stand to waste that kind of time when he had other things to focus on. He read enough to know that was annoying as all hell.

Okay, so Francis was…fairly attractive, but he would never say that to his face. That would inflate his infernal ego far too much for Arthur's liking. He was a massive flirt with a lot of people Arthur had seen, but the way he treated Arthur was…different. More sincere, so that meant that Arthur was special to him. Which meant that he really cared, so it wouldn't be…bad…to be in a…relationship…with…Francis…

"I think we should date," Arthur blurted out, standing up a little straighter as Francis stared at him in confusion. There, that dealt with something that could have lasted for days. But it certainly did nothing to help that infernal blush on his face.

That was when Francis started laughing. Arthur frowned slightly. Was Francis mocking him now? No…Francis seemed genuinely happy with that laugh, seemingly trying to hold it back but unable.

"You…" Francis attempted to manage out. "Oh, merci Dieu," Francis muttered and Arthur rolled his eyes. Francis barely composed himself enough to look at Arthur with a wide smile. "My apologies, mon cher, I was just not expecting something so suddenly." Arthur scoffed, looking at the door that Francis had actually bothered to close. He just wished that this conversation would be over soon so he could focus on something else and get the damn heat off his face. It felt insufferably hot in that room in that moment.

"If you're going to continue laughing at me, you can leave," Arthur rolled his eyes and started walking towards where he usually sat. Francis cut him off, however, with a soft grip on his wrist and a quick kiss to his cheek that practically made Arthur's whole face crimson.

"I would love to, mon lapin," Francis said simply. "And I would never laugh at you, only with you."

"I'm not your bloody rabbit," Arthur scoffed, wrenching his hand away and sitting down swiftly. He started opening one of the books about magic in front of him in hopes that they could finally change the damn subject.

"So you do speak French," Francis smirked, leaning against the table in an attempt to get closer to Arthur.

"No, I do not," Arthur stated. Of course, that was a lie, but Francis didn't have to know that. For now.

* * *

The energy in the room was practically stifling. Gilbert couldn't help but shift slightly as he tried to focus on the problem Matthew put in front of him. Alfred and Ivan were in the clubroom as well, but he could normally learn to focus around them, even when they were arguing. Not to mention that Francis was there, too, his chair scooted uncomfortably close to Arthur's as he tried to help him find something, even though he didn't read Latin.

Normally this would all be fine.

Normally.

But it seemed like in a matter of a few days, a lot of things seemed to change. Alfred and Ivan were a thing, but they still had a massive amount of sexual tension that they hadn't had a chance to get out yet. So their argument nearly left the room stifling. Then there was Francis and Arthur. Francis kept trying to push open the envelope because, apparently, some kind of barrier had been removed, and he kept trying to 'explore' Arthur and Arthur would only sometimes yell at him and force him away.

And it was driving Gilbert crazy.

He'd finally, finally accepted all of his feelings for Matthew and he was just working up until the right moment to get it out, but then all of this is happening? Everyone else managed to get together with their damned crush and Gilbert was the one currently in the friend zone in a stuffy room full of horny teenagers. He couldn't focus for the life of him.

"Yeah, well, whatever," Alfred scoffed at the end of some other random argument. "You're Russian, you just don't understand, you spend all of your time covered in snow, anyway."

"Da, that makes sense," Ivan said amusedly. "However, you spend your fair share of time in the snow as well."

"How about we go to the library," Matthew said, suddenly closing his book and nearly making Gilbert jump out of his skin. "It's a little loud in here, don't you think?"

"Fucking finally," Gilbert groaned, more than happy to shove everything into his backpack and stand up. "I'm sick of fifth wheeling this double date."

"Excuse me?" Arthur sputtered, all but shoving Francis away from him.

"Don't let me disturb you," Gilbert smirked before waltzing out the door. Matthew followed behind him close behind. "You couldn't focus either, huh?"

"No way," Matthew shook his head. "I didn't even know Francis and Arthur had…"

"They definitely haven't hooked up yet," Gilbert smirked, lacing his hands behind his head as they walked together, in the opposite direction of the library, too. "But if Francis has it his way, they definitely will soon."

"God, I don't even want to think about that," Matthew rolled his eyes. "I already had to deal with Alfred when he only had a crush. Now he's in a relationship with Ivan?"

"And Ivan, of all people?" Gilbert scoffed. "What the fuck did that creep do to get Alfred's attention?"

"Ivan's a nice guy," Matthew laughed, elbowing Gilbert just slightly. "When you're nice back. Admittedly, he's a little creepy sometimes and…"

"A little?" Gilbert laughed.

"He's my friend," Matthew pressed with a small laugh. "Hey, I respect your crazy friends. Honestly, Elizabeta scared the shit out of me the first time I met her."

"That's fair," Gilbert smirked. "She did try to kill me with a tree branch when I first met her."

"What?" Matthew laughed, looking at Gilbert in surprise.

"Okay, okay," Gilbert laughed. "I had just moved into this neighborhood, right? I was, like, five. And this girl next door had it in her head that I was a demon or some shit because of the way I look. My mom forced me to go over to her house to say hello or some shit and she started screeching at me, running after me with a tree branch. I was lucky Specs had enough sense in him to calm her down."

"Are you serious?" Matthew giggled. Gilbert just smirked. Matthew was adorable when he was laughing. He just couldn't wait to see that smile and hear that laugh in his rightful body.

"I mean, you're not much better," Gilbert continued. "I've heard so many stories from Al about you chasing him around with a fucking hockey stick!"

"He deserved it all those times!" Matthew protested.

"Yeah?" Gilbert snorted. "What did he do?"

"Let me think," Matthew mused. "He wouldn't give me the remote once when he promised…He almost totaled our car because he thought it would be a good idea to pretend to be the police to an ice cream truck to get free ice cream. Don't ask. There was one time he threatened to tell our parents that I ate the last of the ice cream when he did if I didn't give him the car for the weekend. This has all been in the past year, too."

"And you think I have issues with my brother," Gilbert laughed. "Lud and I barely fight."

"I'm sure that's all because of him, not you," Matthew rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Whatever," Gilbert scoffed. "Weren't we going to the library?" he asked with a smirk once they walked past the cafeteria. Matthew blushed slightly.

"That was just an excuse," Matthew shrugged. "If you really want to keep studying, I'd be up for it, but we could use a break, don't you think?"

"Sure," Gilbert shrugged. "Having some alone time with you is always great." He cursed slightly when he realized what that sounded like. Thankfully, Matthew just smiled at him, not taking note of what Gilbert had just said.

"You know, you are pretty smart on your own," Matthew said. "When it comes to tutoring, I don't really have to do much and you usually understand it pretty quickly, once you focus on it."

"Nah, Birdie, you're just a good teacher," Gilbert shrugged. "I'm not smart, that's why I'm in the stupid classes."

"Well, obviously all you need to do is try a little harder," Matthew shrugged and Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "You're passing AP classes, if you haven't noticed. Sure, it's only been a week, but that's still something. You shouldn't just pass yourself off as stupid if you're more than that."

"Thanks," Gilbert smiled, feeling a nice, warm feeling settling around his stomach and chest. Why was Matthew so perfect? He was nice and had a nice smile, even when it wasn't his, and he actually believed in Gilbert, a trait that was getting pretty rare. Who even knew what his parents were thinking of him now that Matthew was going through all of his classes and acing it for him? "I'll consider it."

"Whatever, tough guy," Matthew rolled his eyes and the bell rang above them. Everyone from the cafeteria surged at once, it seemed, and the two parted ways, becoming a part of the crowd for the sake of going to their respective classes.

* * *

Matthew walked briskly to the clubroom. He and Gilbert had planned some last minute studying before Francis took them to the hockey rink to practice. At least this time, they would only have to worry about one couple making the room suffocatingly uncomfortable. It made Matthew fidget slightly, just how open they were with their relationships. And on top of that, being next to Gilbert the whole time? Watching how serious his face was when he tried really hard to focus on a problem or some word or how he laughed off anything he messed up…It made Matthew blush how much he really thought about it. But, that was weird, he was only looking at his own body, after all…

He shook his head as he continued to make his way to the clubroom. He had to focus. Gilbert had better things to focus on than some awkward nerd, anyway. He was still a short ways away when he saw Feliciano, Lovino, and Kiku. Feliciano was babbling happily, Lovino pointedly ignoring him, and Kiku looked…oddly nervous. Matthew swiftly put on a smirk once they noticed him.

"Hey, Gilbert!" Feliciano chimed happily, rushing towards him with a happy smile.

"Hey, Feli," Matthew nodded to him.

"Who the fuck invited the bastard?" Lovino rolled his eyes.

"Last I checked, I'm allowed to walk down a hallway," Matthew laughed and Lovino just scowled at him. "What are you guys up to, anyway? Did Luddie already hop on the bus?"

Feliciano nodded. "I keep offering to give him rides, but he never quite seems up to it. We're giving Kiku a ride, today, though!"

"Hai," Kiku nodded uncertainly. Matthew nodded. That made sense as to why Kiku looked so scared. Matthew was positive he was never going to let Feliciano drive him anywhere ever again. Maybe Lovino was better at driving, but the chances were slim. "Thank you, Feliciano."

"Where are you even headed?" Lovino asked. "Going to hang out with the magic idiots again?"

"Yup," Matthew nodded proudly. "Headed there right now, in fact!"

"I'd love to try to talk to Arthur again!" Feliciano smiled brightly. "He seems so interesting! Can we come?"

"No one's really stopping you," Matthew shrugged. He was sure Arthur didn't really like unwanted guests, but who was he to stop these guys from what they wanted, anyway? It was probably just going to be a quick hello, anyway. It was a short walk from where they were to the clubroom, thankfully. Matthew wasn't quite sure how long he could stand being called a potato bastard by one person. When he made it, Gilbert was already lounging on the couch, mid-conversation with Francis, who still sat beside Arthur. Thankfully, no one else was there. "Hey."

"Hey," Gilbert nodded to him before noticing the others that had come in. But he relaxed slightly, most likely due to the fact that they didn't know much about Matthew in the first place. He apparently wasn't feeling up to pretending that much today. "Having fun?"

"Hello again, Arthur!" Feliciano chimed, rushing past Matthew and right for Arthur, who was startled when Feliciano took his hand to shake excitedly. "It's great to see you again!"

"Um, likewise," Arthur muttered, apparently not quite sure how to handle the situation.

"He just wanted to say hi," Matthew informed.

"Sorry for intruding," Kiku said, bowing his head slightly.

"It's…no problem," Arthur sighed, retracting his hand from Feliciano. "It seems I've taken to having an open door policy recently.

"Oi, Birdie," Gilbert hissed quietly at Matthew, who turned his attention to him. Gilbert motioned for him to come closer and Matthew rolled his eyes, but inched closer anyway.

"Yeah?" Matthew asked with a slight smile.

"Whaddya say to letting out the secret?" Gilbert asked. "At least just to them. They're the last of our friends, anyway, right? Better than keeping it from them 'till they find out."

"I mean, if you want to," Matthew said. "It doesn't seem like much of a problem."

"Oi, bastard!" Lovino shouted at him. "What the hell are you two teenage girls gossiping about?"

"Nothin', Lovi," Gilbert smirked and Lovino blinked at him before scowling. Gilbert turned back to Matthew. "Besides, now, Lovino'll just hate you if he doesn't know it's been me this whole time."

"You're a jackass," Matthew laughed slightly, lightly punching Gilbert's arm. Gilbert just laughed.

"Pardon my asking," Kiku said, stepping towards them, "but, exactly how long have you two known each other?"

"A week?" Matthew asked Gilbert, who nodded in thought.

"Shit, it's only been a week, huh?" Gilbert smirked. "Feels like a hell of a lot longer." Matthew could have sworn he saw a familiar look trace across Kiku's face, one that seemed suspiciously like Elizabeta's, but he didn't say anything as the teen turned back to Feliciano, who started another conversation with him.

"So do you want to tell them or should I?" Matthew asked amusedly.

* * *

"Help," Gilbert muttered, standing in the doorway of Alfred's room. It was way past when he should have gone to bed, but he couldn't sleep. He couldn't help but think about Matthew and what he should do. He was awesome, so, naturally he could handle it…but at the same time…a little advice couldn't hurt, could it? He knew Alfred stayed up late, either playing video games or going online. Tonight, he just happened to be playing some kind of shooter game when Gilbert intruded.

"Yeah?" Alfred asked, not looking up from his game as zombies started to viciously attack him, but he fended them all off. "Watcha need?"

"It's…your brother," Gilbert muttered, slumping onto Alfred's bed. Alfred was happily on the floor, the TV discerningly close to his face as he continued, never taking his eyes off the screen.

"You finally admitting that you're head-over-heels in love with him?" Alfred smirked. "Because I'm pretty sure everyone else can tell but you guys."

"At least I'm not practically making out in the clubroom," Gilbert snorted.

"I'd beg to differ on that one," Alfred laughed slightly. "But what do you need help with?"

"I…wanna ask him out," Gilbert muttered. God, it was so embarrassing that he was actually asking for help. But, whatever, he'd already said it, he couldn't back out now. "I just don't know how."

"Man up," Alfred said bluntly. "I did, look where I'm at."

"Yeah, dating a creepy ass jerk," Gilbert scoffed.

"Yes, but it's the creepy ass jerk I wanted to date," Alfred shrugged. The screen turned red as the zombies finally overwhelmed him. Alfred sighed as he turned around. "Look, it's really fucking obvious to everyone that you and Matt have something for each other. So just fucking ask him out. It's not like you're making this huge commitment or whatever to him. You're agreeing to go on dates and get to know each other better. It's not like you're getting married."

"I guess so," Gilbert shrugged. He'd worked it up as such a big deal in his head, even though he had been in other, short relationships in the past. But this was…different. This was Matthew.

"If you don't even have the balls to ask him out, you don't even deserve my brother, anyway," Alfred rolled his eyes before starting a new game.

"You're shit at advice, you know that, right?" Gilbert smirked, leaning forward curiously to watch Alfred's character starting to walk through a barren wasteland with the perfect hiding nooks to avoid zombies.

"You're the one that came to me," Alfred smirked as he started firing his pistol, landing headshots nearly every time.

"And look where that got me," Gilbert said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do love the idea that, at least in this story, Arthur bases most of his social interactions on books. He doesn't have a lot of friends or social experience but he reads a ton of books on a regular basis. He knows how this shit is supposed to work. (Yes, he's read a few romance novels, mostly out of curiosity, though.) And I like to think that he's not really the kind to hide a crush, especially when Francis is being obvious about his own. It just makes more sense to let it out and let the cards fall as they may. And I skipped the part of Feli, Lovi, and Kiku finding out the secret because I've already revealed it to every single character, I don't have to do it again. Anyway, important things abound next chapter, so look forward to that!
> 
> And I'll see you all next time!


	16. When You Kiss Your Crush

Chapter 16. When You Kiss Your Crush.

He was going to do it. Today. He was going to. He could do this, he was awesome. He could handle this. Really, he could.

Gilbert forced his hands to stay still, despite the fact that they were actually still shaking, as he walked with Alfred to the Dark Magic Club. Alfred was oblivious as always and was going on and on about something to do with Ivan. Gilbert easily tuned him out. He had to stay focused. He could do this, really, he could. He was going to ask out Matthew.

And yet his stomach was flipping and twisting into terrible knots and he was about ready to run as fast as he could. His morning run had been a lot worse than usual because he felt like he had to just…run. Run away. But he was awesome, he couldn't just run away from his problems and if he was…nervous.

But he wasn't nervous! He was the awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt! He could handle this.

And still he felt like he was about to puke when he realized that they were at the clubroom, the door swung open for Gilbert to hear his friends laughing inside. But when they walked in, his nerves soothed slightly at the fact that Matthew wasn't there yet. It was just Arthur, Francis, and Antonio. Gilbert groaned slightly, hoping to just get it over with, but slumped on the couch anyway, next to Antonio, who was talking with Francis.

"So then Lovi started talking about this mustache that he's got…somewhere," Antonio said, trying to stifle his laughter. "I'm pretty sure he always keeps it on him."

"What? The mustache of doom?" Gilbert smirked. "He's used that on Lud way more than he'll ever let on. And me a few times, too."

"What possesses him to use a mustache?" Francis snickered. Arthur, meanwhile, rolled his eyes, seemingly intent to focus entirely on studying Latin.

"I guess when he thinks of what disgusts him the most, it's a mustache?" Antonio laughed.

"And Germans," Gilbert shrugged. "I don't fucking get it."

"Yeah, I mean, all of you are just so loveable and open about your emotions," Antonio snickered and Gilbert lightly swatted the back of his head.

"Oh, don't worry, he's planning to be plenty open with his emotions today," Alfred smirked, slumping happily into a chair and Gilbert glared at him. "Oh, please, like I didn't notice your shaking, clammy hands and how you can't sit still. This is about what we talked about last night, isn't it?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Gilbert scoffed. "There's no way in hell I'm using your advice."

"Is this about Matthew?" Antonio smirked knowingly and Gilbert rolled his eyes, pushing his friend away from him as he tried to lean closer. "I mean, Alfred's got himself a boyfriend, right? Isn't his advice useful?"

"You went for love advice and didn't go to me?" Francis placed a hand over his heart to feign hurt.

"Good," Arthur snorted and Gilbert practically howled with laughter where he sat.

"You wound me, mon amour," Francis smirked, leaning just slightly closer. Arthur didn't hesitate to place a hand on the teen's chest to make sure he stayed arm's length away, all the while not looking up from his books. Francis pouted and Gilbert laughed even harder.

"What's so funny?" Gilbert heard Matthew asked and nearly jumped right out of his skin and died. Now it was Antonio's turn to laugh, Alfred snickering with him. Gilbert turned his attention to the doorway, where Matthew stood, along with Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, and Kiku.

"Hey, look, it's Lovino! How about you show us that mustache we were just talking about?" Gilbert was eager to get the attention away from him.

"Don't fucking talk about me when I'm not here," Lovino snapped and Gilbert smirked. Great, the conversation easily went off of him. Maybe he could find some way to talk to Matthew in private or something…

"He actually left that at home today…" Feliciano mused.

"Don't tell people things about me!" Lovino yelled at him and Ludwig sighed, stepping away as Lovino threatened to choke his brother. Matthew simply laughed slightly.

"Brothers, huh?" Alfred laughed and Gilbert rolled his eyes. Francis was finally able to sneak past Arthur's defenses and had a hand on his thigh while Arthur explained to him about a spell he'd found.

"Gilbert, Matthew," Kiku said suddenly, around the other conversations. Antonio had already gotten up and left to talk to Feliciano and Lovino, "if you would not mind, would you help me carry a few textbooks to one of my classrooms?"

"Sure," Gilbert shrugged, standing up. Matthew shrugged as well and they easily slipped out of the room.

"Are you sure you need two of us?" Matthew asked. "What do you need the textbooks for?"

"My sincerest apologies," Kiku half-bowed to them before scurrying down the hall and past a turn.

"That son of a bitch," Gilbert let out a short laugh. Then again, it did get him alone in a hallway with Matthew. Well, mostly alone. There were a ton of kids passing by in the hallway, but they were alone enough, right?

Gilbert felt the feeling in his stomach come back tenfold as he looked back at Matthew. Oh, shit. They were alone.

"So…uh…" Gilbert muttered. He swallowed. No, he was way more awesome than that. "You still on for studying during lunch?" he asked. He couldn't sound lame now, no stuttering and fumbling for him. No way was he going to fall for that cliché.

"Well, I figured we still would," Matthew shrugged.

"Yeah, just wanted to make sure," Gilbert shrugged and leaned against the nearest wall, next to some lockers. Okay, he could do this. He just had to act cool and… "Hey, Birdie, I just wanted to say-"

The bell rang. The kids in the hallways started moving all at once and Gilbert winced. This wasn't the time to tell him, and he'd just worked up the courage, too! Dammit!

"What is it?" Matthew asked curiously.

"Nothin', it can wait until later," Gilbert sighed. Matthew nodded warily and they swapped homework before heading on their way to their respective classes. This was going to be harder than Gilbert thought.

* * *

Matthew sighed as he slumped into his usual seat in the Dark Magic Clubroom. Arthur was alone, oddly enough considering how much Francis seemed to hover around him lately, and that meant that the room was quiet for once. It was kind of peaceful. Until about a minute into the lunch period. Alfred was the first to come in, proudly proclaiming how he aced some test, Ivan coming in shortly after to say how he achieved a higher score, resulting in an argument between the two. Elizabeta and Roderich came in with Gilbert, Elizabeta talking hurriedly and excitedly to him while Gilbert seemed to want to disappear into the wall. Francis came with Antonio, who dragged Lovino in, who was followed by Feliciano, Ludwig, and Kiku. The room seemed crowded, but at the same time, it was pretty well filled. They still had plenty of room to breathe, after all. Matthew smiled slightly. He enjoyed people watching, it was one of his favorite hobbies. It was kind of nice to see how everyone interacted with each other.

But Matthew knew well enough that this meant he and Gilbert wouldn't be studying anytime soon. Arthur seemed to acknowledge the fact that he couldn't read through his spells either and simply turned to insult Francis, who was trying to capture his attention. It was kind of sweet, in a way. Alfred and Ivan, even when they were arguing, seemed to have this chemistry, like it was their way of flirting. Which it definitely was. It almost made Matthew a little jealous. And then, he looked to Gilbert, who was still attempting to push away Elizabeta while Kiku managed to join the conversation, he and Elizabeta becoming quick friends. Okay, so he might have…some kind of a crush on him…or something. And looking at the amount of couples or soon-to-be couples made him look at Gilbert all the more. The second he saw Gilbert break away from his conversation and head right for Matthew, he looked away, deciding that Alfred and Ivan were a safe topic to be interested in.

"Hey, Birdie," Gilbert smiled, having to talk a little loudly to be heard over the crowd in the room. "Wanna go someplace it's not so loud? We were going to study, right?"

"Uh, sure," Matthew nodded simply, picking up his bag as he followed Gilbert out of the room. He almost allowed himself to get excited over the fact that Gilbert said he wanted to go somewhere else. With Matthew. Alone. But, of course, it was for tutoring. Matthew had to remember that.

They didn't make it very far from the clubroom before Gilbert stopped and stretched against a row of lockers.

"Damn, that room gets stuffy really quick with so many people," Gilbert smirked. "Didn't know so many people could fit in such a small room."

"Yeah," Matthew smiled. "I bet Arthur's about ready to have a fit with so many people there."

"Oh, please, we all know Arthur secretly likes everyone," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he coughed slightly and Matthew noticed the slight red tinge to his cheeks. They weren't really going to the library, Gilbert really did just want to be with him alone. So what did that mean, "you remember when I was trying to tell you something this morning?" Matthew nodded. "Yeah, well," Gilbert lounged against the lockers, apparently trying to seem more relaxed than he really was, but the stiffness in his back gave everything away. "I guess I kinda like you, alright? Like…God this sounds fucking stupid when I'm saying it out loud…"

"Wait, 'like' as in…" Matthew felt himself blushing now as Gilbert's face grew even redder.

"I've had a crush on your for a little while, Birdie," Gilbert shrugged, a shy smile on his face. "I mean, I think you're awesome and pretty fun to be around. And I mean, hell, we're in high school. Aren't we supposed to date people we think are cool?"

"D-date?" Matthew stuttered, blinking in surprise at Gilbert, who shrugged again, biting his lip. "You mean you…"

"I mean, if you're not cool with it," Gilbert said almost immediately, hands in front of himself, "I totally get it. I mean, right now that's like dating yourself which is fucked up. Took me a while to get over that myself…"

"I didn't think you would actually like me, too," Matthew confessed, far too quiet for his own liking. But Gilbert seemed to pick up on every word. He smiled.

"You're awesome," Gilbert smirked. "How could I not?"

"So that's it, then?" Matthew asked, not quite believing what was happening or his own words. Gilbert had actually…asked him out. Really, he had. Matthew wasn't even dreaming or anything. Sure, it was really weird that he was, in essence, being asked out by himself, but it was sweet. And…Matthew really liked the idea of maybe getting a chance to date Gilbert seriously. "We're…dating now?" Matthew had to swallow thickly around the word. He'd never really dated anyone before. He wasn't quite sure how it was supposed to work.

"I mean, there should be one other thing we do before it's official," Gilbert smirked and Matthew saw his eyes flash to Matthew's lips.

"God, I'm really about to kiss myself," Matthew couldn't help but laugh slightly and Gilbert laughed as well before standing upright. When he started leaning forward, however, Matthew couldn't stop himself from leaning forward as well.

When their lips met, Matthew couldn't help but feel a similar feeling course through him, the feeling of Gilbert's lips extremely present on his, almost like they were burning. He was left breathless and he couldn't help but think about when they'd first met, how they'd accidentally kissed. Neither of them had said anything, naturally. Matthew didn't think it was an important detail.

He started opening his eyes with a small smile, about to tell Gilbert about what he had thought about, but he stopped when he was greeted with…red. Not indigo eyes, but red eyes.

"Holy shit," Gilbert muttered in front of him, his voice deeper than Matthew had heard. The voice Matthew had been using for so long. Matthew blinked in surprise, looking Gilbert over. Those were the clothes he'd dressed in that day…Matthew cracked a smile. "Holy shit!" Gilbert cheered, picking up Matthew by his waist and spinning him around with a giddy laugh.

"Our kiss when we first met," Matthew muttered. "I didn't think anything about it at first."

"That must've been what did it," Gilbert smirked. "All it took was a little kiss to go back? Holy shit…" Gilbert happily rested his forehead against Matthew's. "How come I never noticed your eyes before now?"

"Don't turn into a romantic sap now," Matthew laughed, shoving him away. "We should tell the others. Arthur won't have to keep looking!"

"Hell yeah!" Gilbert cheered, holding onto Matthew's hand as they headed back to the clubroom. "I finally get my own bathroom again tonight!" Matthew laughed, following after him. He couldn't stop this euphoric feeling welling up inside him as he followed, the smile refusing to drop from his face. "Guys!" Gilbert cheered, happily forcing his way into the room. "You'd never fucking guess."

"Matt?" Alfred blinked in surprise from where he stood, apparently nearly choking Ivan from the looks of it. Gilbert shook his head with a smirk and Matthew waved his hand. "Holy shit!" Alfred immediately charged at them and hugged Matthew tightly. Gilbert finally let go of his hand while Matthew felt like he was about to be crushed. It was a little weird to be back in his body after so long. He'd gotten used to the way Gilbert sees things, but seeing everything clear again made him happy. And everything just felt…right in his skin again.

"How did you manage it?" Arthur asked. "Did the spell just wear off?"

"Okay, so, when we first met and we fell while you were casting that spell," Gilbert explained and Matthew couldn't help but feel just how perfect Gilbert looked in his own body. Now that he didn't look like Matthew, all of his normal body language and word usage seemed so normal, natural, "we sorta accidentally kissed. We didn't think it was that big of a deal, so we both left it out of the equation. But we just kissed a second ago," there was a loud squeal from the corner of the room from Elizabeta and Gilbert rolled his eyes, "and we just…changed back. Maybe that's all there was to the spell!"

"So you finally worked up the courage, huh?" Alfred smirked at Gilbert, who rolled his eyes at him.

"Maybe that's all there is to it," Arthur muttered, glancing back at the books for a moment, biting his lip. "We should look further into it, if you ask me. There's a chance that there's more to it than a simple kiss."

"Haven't you heard the saying, mon cher?" Francis smirked. "True love's kiss solves everything."

"Right," Arthur snorted. "Just…don't get too excited, we should be careful about this."

"You're way too uptight, Artie," Gilbert smirked. "I mean, we figured it out! We should celebrate!" The bell rang above them and Gilbert groaned. "Hey, wait, I'm going to my classes!"

"Guess you won't need a tutor anymore, huh?" Matthew laughed slightly.

"I wouldn't say that," Gilbert said simply, wrapping an arm around Matthew's shoulders and leading him out of the room, as they were the closest to the door and they already had what they needed for their classes. Matthew was going to go to his classes once again. Perfect, everything would land back into place once again and maybe his life would be a little better than it was before all of this fiasco.

The two gave each other parting words before going off to their own classes. It was refreshing to walk into an AP class again, where the students (usually) want to be there. It was an interesting contrast, for sure. Matthew sighed as he sat down in his familiar seat, watching his familiar teacher set up stuff at his desk. This was kind of nice.

Class started and Matthew easily started taking notes. No more having to pretend to be Gilbert, he just had to be himself, which was comforting. It wasn't even an hour later when he felt…strange. He shook his head, just figuring it was from not really eating his lunch anyway. He could just eat something when he got home.

His eyes stung, oddly, enough, and he closed them in an attempt to get rid of the burn. When he opened them, the world was slightly more blurry than it was before. And Matthew wasn't in his class…he was in Gilbert's. He looked down at the desk. Those weren't his notes, they were Gilbert's…

He felt a buzz in his pocket and immediately pulled it out. A text from Gilbert. They'd forgotten to switch phones during lunch when they'd swapped back.

_what the fuck just happened_

Matthew just blinked. Really, what just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psh, and you all thought that I would end it there. Please, I have so much more planned! I told y'all it's based on Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, which means we've still got plenty of kisses to go around. On the bright side, PruCan confirmed, so that little obstacle is out of the way. Arthur was right to be cautious, what a shocker.
> 
> Anyway, I'm done for now so I'll see you next time.


	17. When It's Too Quiet

pter 17. When It's Too Quiet.

Gilbert all but ran to the Dark Magic Clubroom at the end of the school day, mostly by Matthew's request for them to just finish the school day. Pretty much everyone in the group already knew because of text messages, but only Arthur and Francis could really stay after school.

"What the fuck?" Gilbert blurted out as he finally made it to the clubroom and Arthur looked up at him with a sigh.

"I told you to not get too excited," Arthur rolled his eyes, continuing to read through his books.

"You can do something, though, right?" Gilbert asked. "It just…wore off? Like…What just even happened?"

"I'm here," Matthew muttered behind him and Gilbert groaned. He started really liking the sound of Matthew talking with his own voice, too!

"Is this bullshit gonna happen every time we try to kiss?" Gilbert asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Arthur snapped. "You come in here asking questions like I know the answer. Need I remind you that this was a mistake in the first place? I don't know anything about the spell I accidentally cast on you two. I have just as many questions as you."

"Perhaps we could test it out," Francis shrugged. "You two are more than willing to kiss again, non?"

"Not in front of your perverted ass," Gilbert smirked and glanced back to see that Matthew was blushing furiously. God, Gilbert wanted to see that on his real face, too… He took a deep breath. "Whaddya say, Birdie? For the sake of investigating?"

"Um, sure," Matthew nodded minutely. "I don't mind that much." Gilbert nodded, glancing back at the other two. Francis seemed to be watching with intent interest while Arthur occasionally glanced up between reading some Latin on the page. Gilbert took in a deep breath before placing a quick peck on Matthew's lips. He felt that feeling again, of what seemed like an electric shock over their lips and he was left kind of breathless. But when he opened his eyes he was looking at…Matthew…in Matthew's body.

"Okay, awesome," Gilbert sighed, slumping slightly. He felt the blush still on his face from Matthew starting to cool down while he saw Matthew blushing even more as he looked back at the two at the table. "Now what?"

"You two switched back?" Arthur asked curiously, finally turning away from the books.

"No shit," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "What now?"

"Kiss again," Francis said thoughtfully and Gilbert just looked at him. "What? If it's as temporary as we think it is, if you kiss again, you should, in theory, switch back."

"Fine," Matthew nodded, turning back to Gilbert. "If you don't mind."

"Nah, I like kissing you, Birdie," Gilbert smirked. He felt a bit more confident in his own body, which enabled him to actually lean down, even just slightly, to kiss Matthew. Being taller had a certain effect. Another quick kiss and electric shock later, Gilbert was back in Matthew's body. "This is bullshit."

"So, if we kiss and switch back, it's temporary," Matthew sighed, "or we can just kiss and go back to where the spell put us originally."

"Not very fair, if you ask me," Gilbert grumbled before kissing Matthew one more time. He smirked when Matthew jumped slightly.

Matthew hit him in the shoulder. "What did you do that for?"

"I'm gonna enjoy what little time I've got in my own body," Gilbert shrugged, slumping onto the couch. "It's comfier this way. Besides, this way I actually get to see you, which I've only really seen you twice, if you get me."

"You're ridiculous," Matthew shook his head.

"I also kinda just wanted to kiss you again," Gilbert winked and Matthew blushed before sitting down next to him. "So, what now, magic boy?"

"Magic boy?" Arthur raised a brow before turning back to his books. "Not much has changed. I still don't know what spell could have possibly changed you two, if it was a spell at all. I'm still going to search for some spell that will turn both of you back to normal as soon as possible. At least this way you two have some time to be in your own bodies."

"Great, so this big revelation and it all turns into nothing," Gilbert sighed heavily.

"Why don't you kiss me just because you wanted to?" Francis smirked and Arthur swatted him absently in the back of his head.

"I'm busy," Arthur said and Francis simply leaned subtly closer, passing it off like he was reading what Arthur was.

"I say we skip hockey for today," Matthew muttered. "I'm already feeling pretty tired from all of this going on."

"Pretty sure we couldn't get Francis and Arthur to separate long enough for a ride anyway," Gilbert snickered when Arthur shot him a glare. "What? Don't you wanna be his princess and kiss the frog?" His laughter barely allowed him to finish the sentence as Arthur's face turned a bright red and turned his attention violently back to his books. Francis himself stifled his laughter, especially when Arthur jammed his elbow into Francis' stomach. Gilbert saw Matthew hiding his own laughter behind his hand.

"You lot are bloody ridiculous," Arthur rolled his eyes. "If you're just going to be distracting, you should leave."

"Well, I'll still need a tutor if things are gonna keep going like they are," Gilbert smirked, leaning back in the couch.

"If we're studying, I expect you to actually focus," Matthew snorted.

"I can focus," Gilbert retorted and Matthew just rolled his eyes before rummaging through Gilbert's backpack.

"Sure," Matthew smirked. He paused for a moment before pulling out a book Gilbert hadn't seen before. "How about we try something a little different today, though?"

"What's that?" Gilbert asked, taking the book and reading the cover. He looked at it, confused for a minute, because it wasn't in English or French. "Wait…is this fucking German?"

"I might have made the time to go to a bookstore the other day," Matthew smiled and Gilbert all but tackled him into the couch.

"I'd fucking love to learn German right now," Gilbert smirked, kissing Matthew on his nose and both of his cheeks, only to make up for the fact that he couldn't really kiss Matthew's lips.

"Okay," Matthew laughed. "Then maybe get off of me and we can start." Gilbert nodded before sitting up, helping Matthew sit up as well. Matthew nodded and opened up to the first page, which Gilbert looked at with apt interest.

* * *

Arthur sighed as he walked to his locker. It was rather late in the day, Gilbert and Matthew had already gone home, though one person had elected to stay with Arthur, despite the fact that it was completely unnecessary. Still, Arthur had complained enough and it seemed like Francis wasn't about to leave his side, so he couldn't exactly say anything to get him to do otherwise.

Francis was humming some song Arthur had never heard as they walked, a small spring to his step that he'd seemed to have since Monday. Arthur just rolled his eyes at his antics as they reached his locker and he swiftly opened it. They remained in a comfortable silence as Arthur rummaged through his books and decided what to take home with him. He was going to bring one spell book with him and a few textbooks. When he wanted a break from studying, it was always nice to just read a few spells and curses, maybe commit a few to memory. It was kind of relaxing. It was also reassuring to know that what he memorized could actually come to fruition if he really wanted it to.

Arthur was about to reach for a binder when he realized just how awkward the silence must be for Francis. After all, he did enjoy rather large crowds and talking with multiple people. Yet, Arthur wasn't providing much for conversation and Francis was just…standing there. He wasn't even looking at him. Arthur may be comfortable with the silence, but Francis certainly wasn't. Arthur opened his mouth, but couldn't find words to say. What could they even talk about? Arthur shook his head, turning back to his books and shoving what he needed into his bag. That had been a stupid idea…

"Did you want to say something?" Francis asked and Arthur blinked in surprise. His voice was soft, almost like he didn't want to disturb their silence.

"It was nothing," Arthur sighed, standing up. Francis held the door to his locker open, looking right at him.

"Are you sure?" Francis asked.

"Stop trying to read so far into every one of my actions," Arthur scoffed, ripping the door from his hand and closing the locker. Really, though, it was rather…endearing that Francis could seem to understand what Arthur wanted to say without him really having to say it.

"I don't mind silence, you know," Francis smiled and Arthur turned on his heel, mostly to hide the blush that had marked his face. He started walking, Francis following. "Especially if I'm around you, silence is wonderful."

"Good to know," Arthur sighed quietly, continuing on his way to where his car would be. Eventually, he did have to part ways with Francis (and the damn Frenchman refused to let either of them move until he kissed Arthur) and walked to his car in complete silence. The sun was setting as he made his way to the car.

He thought back to how many people crowded his usually quiet room. And he smiled, oddly enough. He actually didn't mind the mass amounts of people anymore. Ivan was more than interested in Arthur's books, Feliciano always seemed eager to get to know him, and Lovino didn't seem like that bad of a person. It was easy for Arthur to look past his insults. Alfred got on his nerves occasionally, but he was usually better behaved around Ivan and Matthew. Kiku was…quiet, but nice, Arthur didn't know much about him. And, despite how happy Elizabeta seemed about all of the relationships in this inner circle, she was sweet and nice. And Roderich was a nice person to be around. Even Gilbert, Antonio, and Francis, apparently a dreaded threesome in the school, were relatively nice. Arthur could actually stand to be around them, despite the few rumors he'd heard.

It was all rather…nice. Arthur gripped tightly onto his car keys. He'd never really had friends before…real ones. It gave him a warm feeling in his chest as he continued to walk, a smile worming onto his face.

* * *

"Celebration dinner!" Alfred cheered as he all but ran into the house, Gilbert barely having enough time to get out of the car and get his backpack before the doors were locked. Gilbert just rolled his eyes with a smile as he followed Alfred into the house, locking the door behind him. Sure, he was happy as hell, mostly, with how today worked out, but Alfred seemed much happier than he should have been.

"You seem pretty excited," Gilbert smirked as he followed Alfred into the kitchen. He started pulling out various ingredients and Gilbert honestly couldn't tell what he was trying to make, but he'd let Alfred get out his excitement for now.

"And you're not?" Alfred laughed.

"You seem a little too eager for your precious brother to be in a relationship," Gilbert shrugged.

"Dude," Alfred smiled, turning to face Gilbert head-on. "I've never seen my brother happier than the moment you two walked back in after…switching back or whatever. Hell, if you can make him that happy again, do it. But the second you make a frown appear on his face, I'll kick your ass into next fucking week."

"Point taken," Gilbert laughed, shaking his head. Then again, he thought the same exact thing about Ludwig and Feliciano. Well, any relationship with Ludwig if he thought about it. Alfred continued pulling out food before starting the burner underneath some pan on the stove. Gilbert watched with interest.

"Besides, now you two can, like, switch whenever, right?" Alfred chatted aimlessly as he continued to work quickly.

"Well, it'd be nice to get to kiss him without fucking switching bodies," Gilbert sighed. He really did want to kiss Matthew just to kiss him. That would be really nice… "But, yeah, we don't have to worry about really big things like essays during class and shit. We just need to work things out."

"I think it's kinda cool," Alfred shrugged. "It's like a super power or something. And not a lot of people know, so you two are, like super-secret heroes or something."

"Sure," Gilbert snorted. "Whatever you wanna call it." Usually, if Gilbert was celebrating, he wouldn't be cooking some meal with his brother, which apparently involved cooking beef, now that Gilbert was paying attention. Usually, he'd have a nice beer in his hand. But Gilbert remembered the feeling of drinking in Matthew's body. Besides, his parents probably weren't as calm about underage drinking as Gilbert's were.

"And, who knows, maybe Arthur will figure something out for the two of you soon," Alfred shrugged. "We all know he's slow as hell recently."

"Well, once you know anything about magic, I'll go and consult you," Gilbert smirked. "Or if you can read Latin like your boyfriend."

"I had no idea he could read Latin, okay?" Alfred smirked. "But it's badass. My boyfriend knows, like, three languages. And yours knows two."

"Going on three," Gilbert smirked. "And then if you count how well he's doing in my Spanish class…"

"I'm not starting this argument when it involves my own bro," Alfred laughed slightly.

"You're just not willing to admit that your adorable little bro is better than your massive, creepy boyfriend," Gilbert smirked.

"Hey, I'm the one cooking your food," Alfred smirked right back. "I could burn this. Or poison it."

"Try me," Gilbert laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have a problem with that silence thing as well…Like, I'll be hanging out with friends and I'm more than happy to be quiet but I constantly think about how uncomfortable they must be. I can't be the only one that thinks that way, right? I've also noticed that the parents in here must either be completely oblivious to everything or, like, always insanely busy. Because they don't know the secret, and they're not asking questions. It's kind of funny to try looking behind the scenes in something like this, I guess.
> 
> Anyway, I'm tired, so I'll see you all next time.


	18. When You Kiss A Friend

Chapter 18. When You Kiss A Friend.

Arthur was actually in a rather good mood this morning. He hummed a small tune to himself as he walked into the school building, early as always, and made his way to his locker. He'd done all of his homework the night before for the rest of the week, so he wouldn't have to worry much about that for a while. He couldn't stop the smile on his face. He just…woke up in a good mood. These occasions were rare, but Arthur rather enjoyed reveling in them every now and then.

"Do you always arrive here this early?" a familiar, French voice asked and Arthur just continued smiling. Not even the Frenchman could bring his mood down. In fact, it practically made it better.

"Hello, love," Arthur sighed happily before closing the locker. "Yes, I do." Francis blinked in surprise and Arthur smirked, walking past him and towards the clubroom. This could get rather amusing, if nothing else.

"I don't think I've ever heard you call me that," Francis swiftly caught up with him, a curious smile on his face. "What has you in such a good mood, mon cheri?"

"I just am in a good mood," Arthur shrugged. "Does there need to be an explanation?"

"With you?" Francis chuckled. "No."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing," Francis hummed and Arthur rolled his eyes, but the smile refused to leave his face. He really enjoyed mornings like this. Once they were in the clubroom, Arthur hummed to himself as he organized the table, putting away books that he knew were useless to him now and pulling out new books that could be useful. Francis was quiet as he sat on the couch, simply observing him. It wasn't until he sat down to start looking over the books that Francis spoke up again. "You do have a lovely voice."

"I doubt that," Arthur snorted, absently flipping through the pages of a familiar book. He hadn't looked at it in quite a while. Maybe it could have some answers for the body switching debacle.

"Don't doubt yourself," Francis chuckled and they lapsed into silence yet again. Arthur allowed himself to remember what Francis had said just the day before. About silence. It was a very comfortable silence, after all. Arthur smiled, continuing to read and enjoying the company beside him. I was rare when he had mornings like this. The Latin was even coming easily to him. It was just kind of…peaceful.

Right up until Alfred and Gilbert felt the need to make a dramatic entrance.

* * *

Matthew tapped his pencil against the table as he thought over the answer to the question in front of him. It was for science class, of course, and he was trying to focus. There was just one small problem with that.

"Hey, Matt." Gilbert. "Hey, Matt. It's important this time, I swear. Just help me find the answer really quick. It'll be fast, I promise."

"Really?" Matthew quirked an eyebrow with a small smile, turning to Gilbert, who happily secured Matthew's head with one hand and kissed him twice. It was extremely disorienting, as all of the other kisses had been, but Matthew sighed, shaking his head, as he found himself back in his own body once again. "You're ridiculous."

"You love me," Gilbert winked with a smirk and Matthew rolled his eyes.

"I am trying to work, you know," Matthew said and Gilbert kissed him twice yet again. "You're never going to get over that, are you?"

"Just imagine how much I'm gonna kiss you once we stop switching," Gilbert winked and Matthew shook his head, turning back to his work in an attempt to hide the blush on his face. Gilbert just laughed when he noticed it.

They were alone in the clubroom for now, mostly due to Francis dragging Arthur with him to get lunch and it was rather peaceful. Well, as peaceful as time alone with Gilbert could be. It was another four kisses before Francis and Arthur returned and Matthew's face was beet red. Gilbert's face was slightly red as well, but that was mostly due to Matthew being in his body.

"I need to try something," Arthur muttered as he quickly entered the room, bypassing the two and going towards the bookshelf, rifling through the books.

"He had this idea in his head since halfway through the line," Francis sighed, sitting down at the last available seat. "How did you two enjoy your time alone?"

"It was awesome," Gilbert smirked and Matthew hid his head in his book for the time being.

"Found it!" Arthur said happily, nearly ripping the book off the shelf. Matthew looked up curiously, wondering what Arthur had gotten onto. Arthur didn't even turn around as he started flipping through the book. "I can't believe I haven't actually thought of it before. But perhaps if I do that curse one more time, the one you two interrupted, perhaps I could find out where it went wrong."

"You mean actually saying a curse out loud?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"There are plenty of people I can direct it to," Arthur stopped flipping and placed the book down, reading through the words carefully. Arthur seemed to be in a fairly good mood that day, all considering. It was kind of nice to see him not so stuffy or angry at everyone. He smiled a little more often, too. Francis seemed on top of the world with the way things were going.

"Hell, shoot for Alfred for all I care," Gilbert shrugged and Matthew elbowed him. "It's worth a shot."

"Don't curse Alfred," Matthew sighed and Arthur just shook his head before glancing at the door, which Francis had closed on the way in, which he had a habit of doing since he discovered Arthur hated an open door.

"It will need some way to get out to whoever I decide to direct it towards," Arthur sighed, striding over and opening the door widely. He nodded appreciatively. He hardly moved from the doorway before he closed his eyes and started muttering his curse. Matthew felt a little apprehensive, he didn't quite like the idea of intentionally hurting anyone. Matthew heard the loud footsteps running down the hallway first and he could immediately tell who it was. He just hoped that his reflexes were fast enough to move around Arthur, who wasn't about to move.

"Hey, Matt!" Alfred said loudly, bounding into the room, but basically slamming into Arthur and sending them both toppling to the floor.

"Al," Matthew sighed, looking at the two, who laid on their sides, "you should really try to run places slower."

And that was when Matthew heard the laughter. It was Arthur's voice, but it sounded just like Alfred laughing. Matthew met Gilbert's eyes before the albino burst out laughing and Francis, who had stood at the beginning of the accident stared in wonder.

"You…you bloody idiot!" Alfred's voice yelled, but it had a familiar British accent to it and Matthew put a hand over his mouth to stop his own laughter. The two sat up, Alfred still laughing in Arthur's body. "What the hell do you think you're doing, barging into rooms with no warning?"

"Dude, you were the one standing in a doorway," Alfred snickered, holding onto his stomach. "Holy shit, you're tiny!" Arthur nearly turned red with rage, something Matthew had never seen on his brother's face.

"Holy shit," Gilbert leaned back in his chair. "When it's not happening to you, this is fucking hilarious."

"Gilbert," Matthew snapped, holding back his own giggles as Francis stepped forward, holding out a hand in an attempt to help them up. Alfred took it while Arthur had to pride to stand up himself, dusting himself off. It was really funny to see, actually. Alfred's body standing up straight and proper while Arthur's slouched.

"This is your fault, you imbecile!" Arthur snapped at Alfred and Matthew stopped being able to hold in his laughter. He couldn't get over hearing his own brother speak with a British accent, sounding so dignified. "Will you wankers stop laughing?"

"It is rather funny, mon lapin," Francis chuckled and Arthur sent him a glare.

"Now we have two problems to deal with!" Arthur snapped, glaring at Alfred, who just shrugged, finally calming down his laughter.

"I'm sorry," Alfred smirked. "Your face was fucking priceless, though."

"Wait, wait, wait," Gilbert turned to fully face the two of them. "Does this mean you two actually kissed when you fell?"

"Dude, not that I wanted to," Alfred grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Who the hell wears slacks to school?"

"Dignified people," Arthur shot back at him. "It's better than a pair of jeans and a disgusting T-shirt."

"Holy shit," Gilbert held back even more laughter.

"Gil," Matthew hit him on his shoulder. "It's not…" Matthew suppressed a giggle. "It's not funny."

"Oh, it's fucking hilarious," Gilbert smirked.

"Alfred?" Ivan calmly walked into the room and Gilbert started laughing even harder, holding onto his stomach. "I saw to run after talking to Kiku, what happened?"

"Oh, yeah," Alfred muttered. "Fuck, I forgot I was sitting with you." Ivan blinked in surprise before looking between Alfred and Arthur curiously.

"I can't," Gilbert snickered and Matthew hit his head again. Gilbert's laughter was practically contagious at this point. Arthur, however, managed to start blushing furiously, running a hand through his hair, wincing slightly when he came in contact with Alfred's cowlick.

"How did you manage to make the same mistake twice?" Ivan asked curiously, a smile on his face as he walked up to Alfred curiously.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Arthur hissed.

"You are so small, Fredka," Ivan smiled, happily placing a hand on Alfred's head to ruffle his hair. Alfred glared up at him.

"Fuck you," Alfred muttered, trying to wave away his hand. When that didn't work, he tried to move Ivan's arm, but he obviously wasn't strong enough. Gilbert couldn't stop laughing.

"You are much weaker, too," Ivan giggled slightly and Matthew bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. Alfred's face just made this all the better.

"Okay, let's stop making fun of me," Alfred swiftly stepped back, looking at Arthur. "Christ, okay, so what now?"

"What, you expect me to be able to change us back?" Arthur scoffed angrily. "I can't even change back those two!"

"Oh, nah, I'm good, you focus on your little problem first," Gilbert snickered and Matthew elbowed him yet again.

"Gilbert," Matthew giggled. "Behave."

"Does this mean you two have to kiss to get back to normal as well?" Ivan asked curiously and both Alfred and Arthur flushed, looking at each other.

"I would never voluntarily kiss you," Arthur scoffed, breaking the eye contact first.

"Uh, well," Alfred rubbed the back of head. "Do you even know how to play football?"

"I know how to play _proper_ football, not your American nonsense," Arthur snapped.

"I can't miss practice," Alfred shrugged. "And that shit's over an hour. You guys found out that a kiss lasts an hour, right?"

"Yup," Gilbert nodded simply. "You kids have fun."

"I mean," Francis shrugged, "if it's a kiss only to switch places, I wouldn't mind. If there's no romantic feelings behind it, I don't believe I'll be jealous. Arthur just has to make sure I'm the person he kisses the most."

"You bloody frog!" Arthur snapped. "That won't solve anything!"

"I wouldn't mind it either," Ivan nodded thoughtfully, placing a hand on Alfred's head again, despite Alfred spouting curses at him. "I think it would be rather fun to watch."

"I mean…" Alfred shrugged helplessly after realizing he wouldn't be getting Ivan's hand off of him anytime soon. "If we have to, we have to."

"You two should start figuring out each other's schedules and where you sit," Matthew said, glancing at the time. "You'll need a bit of time before class starts, won't you?"

"This is all your fault," Arthur jabbed a finger at Alfred's chest. Matthew giggled. Yeah, this was really funny, watching his brother's body act like that…he couldn't get used to it.

"Yeah, sure, whatever, we've placed blame," Alfred rolled his eyes. "Except for the fact that you were the one chanting a curse in the doorway and it was your magic that caused this…"

"Say that again, you little twat!" Arthur snapped. "I'm bigger and stronger than you now!"

"Oh, let's see who'll win in a fight," Alfred smirked. Matthew just shook his head with a smile. It might be kind of funny to see them panic once the bell rang and they realized they were too busy fighting to actually figure out each other's schedules.

"I don't even know if I can trust you in any of my classes," Arthur rolled his eyes. "I am in Advanced Placement, something I'm sure you don't know anything about."

"Yeah?" Alfred laughed. "Try me. AP Calc _and_ AP Physics. What are you in? AP Lang or something? That's the easy shit."

"You're in…" Arthur stared at him blankly while Alfred stood proudly. "I don't know how to do physics."

"Better learn," Alfred said simply. "Mess up too much and I'm off the football team, which I ain't allowing."

"Please tell me you're actually literate so you don't fail my classes," Arthur groaned.

"I'm starting to think we had it easy," Gilbert snickered, glancing at Matthew who nodded, still watching with apt interest. Is this what it was like for people on the outside? It was a wonder more people didn't laugh around them, it was kind of fun to watch.

"Oh, don't worry, poppet," Alfred smirked, plastering on one of the worst British accents Matthew had ever heard and Arthur just stared at him in shock. "I think I'll do a splendid job of being you."

"You won't be a challenge, either," Arthur rolled his eyes after recovering. "All I have to do is laugh like an obnoxious idiot and over eat to the point where I'm nearly diabetic."

"At least I can reach the top shelf," Alfred smirked and Arthur opened his mouth to retort when the bell rang above them.

"Damn, that was getting good, too," Gilbert groaned. He swiftly kissed Matthew, only once this time, and Matthew sighed from Gilbert's seat before putting everything away.

"You should give me more of a warning," Matthew smiled slightly, watching as Arthur and Alfred barely stopped arguing long enough to give the other their next class. But Matthew noticed that they didn't swap phones before they left the room. They were hopeless.

"That takes the fun out of it," Gilbert smirked.

Matthew just shook his head before kissing Gilbert twice and walking into the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, story time! So, originally, this fic was gonna be PruCan with a side of USUK, but I decided I might try my hand at FrUK because why not and RusAme is always a good ship, too, right? But I still really liked the idea of Alfred and Arthur still switching and what that would do with their individual relationships. Let's be honest, Ivan's insanely amused by this spell fiasco and Francis is pretty understanding of the circumstances, so they're both okay, it's just Alfred and Arthur having to go through their own issues. There are no romantic feelings between them, and there won't be. They're just gonna be forced to kiss each other until Arthur works this out, which makes it all the funnier, right?
> 
> Anyway, I enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one. Cheers!


	19. When You Get A New Routine

Chapter 19. When You Get A New Routine.

Arthur sighed, resting his hand on his chin as he watched the idiots on the field run around. They slammed into each other, practically vaulting onto the ground, all to throw some ball a few lousy meters and not get very far at all. Not to mention the fact that the coach was obnoxious as hell, yelling at the players every few seconds.

As if today hadn't been bad enough…Sure, the day started off quite nicely, but now? Ever since he'd swapped places with Alfred, his life had been hell. He rather enjoyed the classes he had, but Alfred's classes seemed to be only focused on the sciences, definitely not Arthur's area of expertise. All of his regular classes involved the most basic level unless it was math or science related, even slightly. He was taking a computer course as well. Not to mention that Alfred was fairly popular in the school, which resulted in far too much social interaction. Arthur wasn't even that good of an actor, but apparently no one was going to ask questions. After all, what would they even think happened? Not to mention those damn rumors he kept hearing…There was a reason he hardly socialized in the first place.

"You need to learn how to stop glaring," Francis chuckled beside him and Arthur huffed, rolling his eyes. "Your pretty face may just stay that way and I can't have that."

"Don't make me hit you," Arthur sighed. That was when he saw Alfred, number 50, excuse himself and jog off the field towards the locker rooms. Just like they planned. Arthur nodded and quickly darted down the small stands he'd been sitting on to watch their practice field (alongside quite a few cheerleaders and the girlfriends of the players), and followed Alfred as discreetly as possible.

"Dude, this is gonna be seriously annoying," Alfred panted as he took off his helmet at the entrance of the locker room.

"You're not the one being forced to watching this insane sport," Arthur said. "Let's get this over with, you idiot."

"Whatever," Alfred sighed and quickly, like he was afraid of being burned, kissed Arthur twice. Arthur had to deal with the disgusting, sweaty feeling of Alfred during practice for about half a second before he was standing in his own body again, thankfully. "That should last the rest of practice. Thanks, dude."

"Please stop calling me that," Arthur sighed as Alfred smiled, placing his helmet over his head again as he ran back out to the field. Arthur quietly trudged back to where he had been sitting. "This is ridiculous," Arthur groaned as he sat down beside Francis. "I just want to go home and study."

"It will be rather interesting," Francis mused. "After all, you are going home with Gilbert, are you not?"

"Don't remind me," Arthur shook his head. He wished he could go back to the comfort of his own bed, wished he didn't have to trust Alfred not to put anything too out of place in his room, let alone trust him to not make his parents suspicious. They already started doubting his sanity when he started a Dark Magic Club.

"I have an idea that might help you relax," Francis smirked and Arthur just gave him a deadpan look. "You should trust me and my ideas more, mon cher."

"Whatever," Arthur waved his hand. "It can't be that bad, especially after my stupid idea to redo that damn curse." Oh, how he wished he could curse Alfred without cursing himself in the process with this damn spell.

"How about we try going on an actual date," Francis offered with a small smile. "Just the two of us."

"I doubt that I'll be able to fix the spell in time for anything anytime soon," Arthur snorted. "Don't get your hopes too high." He watched as Alfred got tackled particularly hard by Ivan. Arthur smirked.

"I don't mind," Francis shrugged. "After all, I want to have a date with you, I don't care what you look like as long as it's you." Arthur felt that all-too-familiar blush rise to his face as he looked away. "And if you're opposed to doing this in public, you could visit my house."

"And what, you'll force me to eat French cuisine you've made yourself?" Arthur rolled his eyes. Actually, he wouldn't quite mind that. He'd never say it out loud…but Francis seemed to have this innate ability to figure out what Arthur really meant, even without him saying the right words.

"I could make you any cuisine you'd like," Francis winked and Arthur felt like his face was on fire. "Of course, if you don't specify, it will probably be French, as that's what I'm best at."

"And when would this ingenious plan of yours happen?" Arthur asked simply.

"How about this weekend?" Francis asked, sounding as if Arthur had already agreed. Arthur did kind of want to agree, after all. An actual date didn't sound half bad. Just him and Francis, which rarely happened with so much going on at school…

"I'll think about it," Arthur shrugged noncommittedly, looking out at the field with false interest.

"Come over at 7 on Saturday," Francis smiled softly and Arthur blushed again, but found that he didn't mind.

* * *

"I hate this fucking game," Gilbert panted from where he stood on his skates and Matthew just laughed from where he stood. He was panting as well. Gilbert was giving him a pretty good workout. And it was nice to actually work out in his own body for once. They'd switched back to their rightful bodies, as they did as often as they could, and Matthew noticed that their time was running low again.

If only Gilbert really did like hockey, he'd get pretty good at it pretty quickly. They were on the ice, alone in the center again with kids and parents going around the sides, with sticks in their hands once again. They couldn't use a puck because that was "dangerous" or something, so they just had to stick to pretending.

"You kick ass for someone who hates it so much," Matthew smirked. "Make a goal again."

"Why?" Gilbert whined. "I've done it enough today, right? How about we take a break, get some drinks, and just chill until Alfred comes by?" They decided this really convoluted way for them to deal with the cars that involved then both managing to get to their respective homes with the correct car. That, sadly, involved Alfred driving Arthur's automatic. Matthew just hoped that he would survive. Then again, Feliciano hadn't crashed…

"Make the shot and I'll consider it," Matthew shrugged.

"If I didn't find you so sexy on the ice, I'd never come back here again," Gilbert threatened and Matthew just smiled.

"Yet you're still here, so score a shot," Matthew hummed and Gilbert rolled his eyes. He got into the position Matthew had taught him before quickly gliding forward. He easily faked moving left and swiftly moved to the right, sending their "puck" into the "goal" behind Matthew.

"Are you happy now?" Gilbert asked impatiently.

"Yes," Matthew smiled and Gilbert skated close enough to give Matthew a quick peck on his forehead. "You're ridiculous." Gilbert just winked, skating backwards.

"Can we rest now?" Gilbert whined. "My feet are killing me."

"Already?" Matthew smirked. He'd learned how to ignore most of the pain for a while, but Gilbert wasn't that used to it. It was actually astonishing that he made it as far as he usually did. "Fine. We can go get a drink or something."

Gilbert cheered, immediately going to where they'd left their stuff. Francis had quickly dropped them off before going to hang out with Arthur who was forced to stay for Alfred's football practice. Naturally, they kept their things with them. Matthew just laughed as he followed him out of the rink, happily taking off his skates.

"I just remembered," Gilbert smirked as Matthew sat down to pull off the skates. Matthew raised a brow before Gilbert leaned over and kissed him twice on the lips. Matthew was actually starting to get used to the disorienting feeling that happened every time they switched bodies. "We almost ran out of time."

"Oh, I bet we had plenty of time," Matthew laughed, shaking his head. "You're just too excited that you get to kiss me and you do it too much."

"No such thing as too much, Birdie," Gilbert smirked, standing up while slipping his feet into his shoes. "Now let's get going, I'm dying for something to drink."

"Don't worry, I know you're thirsty," Matthew laughed slightly, standing up. He slipped on his shoes as Gilbert lead the way out of the rink and towards where there was a vending machine. During games, there was usually a concession stand open, but, for now, it wasn't open and they had to settle for just canned soda. Which was fine.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to have to go home with Arthur and pretend he's you're brother," Gilbert smirked on the way there. "I think it's fucking hilarious that we're both stuck in the same house."

"Well," Matthew shrugged, "by now you must have our usual schedule down. You'll have no problem teaching Arthur, right?"

"Let's just hope we don't burn down the house first," Gilbert laughed. "Hey, on the bright side, this means that Arthur's got even more motivation to find some way to fix this mess. I bet we'll be back to normal in no time."

"Let's hope," Matthew smiled. Then, maybe, he wouldn't have to constantly worry about switching when he was around Gilbert for long periods of time. They could kiss whenever they wanted rather than making sure they kept on a good schedule. That would be a wonderful time…

* * *

"Welcome home," Gilbert smirked as he opened the door for Arthur, like a perfect gentleman, might he add. Arthur just huffed and walked past him with his damn perfect posture. It made Alfred seem taller than he already was. Gilbert sighed and followed him in. "So, bad news is that we have to share a bathroom," Gilbert continued, "good news is that we at least have our own rooms. Considering we're twins and shit now."

"Just show me where the idiot's room is so I can study," Arthur sighed.

"Jeez, you're such a downer," Gilbert groaned, but started up the stairs anyway. "Follow me."

Arthur followed wordlessly, just staring off into space. Maybe he was thinking about homework or some other nerdy thing he usually did. Gilbert had to wonder just how many spell books the kid had on him.

"You better not mess up any more spells in here," Gilbert sighed. "I don't want to have to explain a unicorn or some stupid explosion to their parents, alright?"

"I wouldn't even be able to do anything if I wanted," Arthur scoffed. "Alfred's body has no affinity for magic, meaning I can't do any spell, no matter how hard I try."

"That's a thing?" Gilbert raised a brow.

"Yes," Arthur sighed as Gilbert stopped walking in front of the door to Alfred's room. "In order to use magic, it needs to…like you, I guess. My body has a rather great affinity for it, Alfred's has none, unsurprisingly. He's gone his whole life discrediting it, most likely. I doubt you have much affinity for it, either."

"Aw, you wound me," Gilbert smirked, placing a hand over his heart to feign hurt. "I bet I'd be great with magic if you'd just let me look into your little book."

"You can't even read a single word in it," Arthur scoffed. He tried to open the door to Alfred's room, but Gilbert held it closed. Admittedly, it was kind of hard now that Arthur knew full well he was wielding Alfred's football player sized strength, but Gilbert had Matthew's hockey strength so it evened out.

"How about you teach me?" Gilbert smirked.

"You actually want to learn magic?" Arthur asked bluntly, obviously not expecting Gilbert to say yes.

"Why not?" Gilbert shrugged. "We can figure it out over some dinner." He smirked at how he heard Arthur's stomach growl at just the thought of food. Arthur wasn't used to being in the body of someone who worked out regularly. His metabolism must be going crazy, making Arthur really confused. Thankfully, it at least seemed that Alfred had taken a shower after practice so Arthur didn't have to deal with athlete stink, at least not yet. "I bet you'll be amazed just how much you can eat," Gilbert laughed and Arthur sighed.

"At least let me put down my things," Arthur sighed, finally opening the door. Once he saw the inside of Alfred's room, however, he let out a very long, defeated sigh. "That idiot can't do anything, can he?"

"I think he's great at making you suffer," Gilbert laughed. "I'll see you downstairs. I'm gonna make pancakes for dinner!"

"Why the bloody hell are you making breakfast for dinner?" Arthur snapped.

"Because the parents are coming home late and I want pancakes," Gilbert cackled, making his way down the stairs. He heard Arthur groan as he made it to the bottom. Maybe he'd finally get Matthew's recipe right!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Arthur's been coming out a little more often than I thought he would, but I don't mind him, naturally. His character in this story really fascinates and relates to me, so I love writing him. And this is my first time really exploring the FrUK relationship in depth. I'm really enjoying it, by the way. I owe a lot of this to headcannons I've been seeing on Tumblr, though…Also, I won't have Alfred reacting to Arthur's home because there's, like, no other Hetalia characters chilling over there, so it would get really boring really fast. Just know that he's bored as hell.
> 
> That's it, then! I'll see you next time!


	20. When You Spill Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something messed up and this chapter didn't post originally! I believe I fixed it, for everyone that was confused.

Chapter 20. When You Spill Something.

Arthur impatiently tapped his finger against the desk, just willing the class period to be over. Not only was he terrible at Physics, but all of these people were starting to really piss him off. Alfred was popular, after all, so Arthur had to act like that, actually socialize with people, and listen to what they were saying. And yet…

"I heard he slept with, like, three girls just this weekend."

"Doesn't he have a boyfriend or something?"

"You know he'd probably sleep with anyone, even in a relationship."

They giggled. Those damn girls giggled. Arthur tightly clenched his fists as he looked ahead, tried to focus on the matter at hand. This is why he didn't socialize. Stupid, idiotic rumors and stupid, idiotic people that believed them.

"I really wouldn't mind to sleep with Francis, after all."

Arthur was irritated. Not at what the rumors were saying, not by a long shot. He knew Francis well enough to know that he wasn't the player that everyone made him out to be. Sure, he was flirtatious, but he had this idiotic sense of love and commitment that made Arthur's stomach do flips. Maybe if he were single, Arthur could have believe some of the rumors, but that was a long shot.

And Arthur certainly wasn't one of those stupid people that he'd read about in books to get pointlessly worked up over something stupid like rumors. For one, Arthur would actually talk to Francis before getting mad at _him_ , not that there was anything to be mad about in the first place.

No, Arthur was mad that these damn rumors were actually cycling around and no one bothered to shut them up. He would do it now, while he was Alfred, but there was a pretty low chance he could actually pull off a conversation like that and still act like Alfred.

Finally, the bell rang and Arthur wasted no time standing up and leaving the room, barely having enough time to pick up the work that he'd forgotten in front of him. He still felt angry, like he needed to hit something, as he headed towards the clubroom. He just needed to find the right target.

* * *

"You really shouldn't sit like that when you're trying to study," Matthew laughed, shaking his head as he watched as Gilbert sat upside down, staring down a handout from Matthew's French class. Matthew sat at the table in the clubroom with Francis, who patiently waited beside where Arthur would usually sit. They'd switched into their own bodies, at least for the time being.

"I like German way better than French," Gilbert muttered under his breath.

"Sit up straight, Gil," Matthew shook his head. The door slammed open suddenly and Alfred…er, Arthur walked in. It was difficult for Matthew to come to grips with other people switching bodies. Arthur did seem pretty pissed, however, as he stormed inside. Francis stood up curiously as Arthur walked right towards him and, without hesitation, struck his hand across his face. Matthew blinked in surprise.

"This is why I don't normally socialize!" Arthur snapped as Francis delicately touched his cheek. It must have stung pretty bad, too, it looked like Arthur used all of Alfred's strength in that one.

"Damn," Gilbert whistled, sitting upright.

"Can I ask where that came from?" Francis asked curiously.

"It's because you don't do anything to silence those damn rumors going around about you!" Arthur snapped. Francis blinked before smiling slightly.

"Oh, those rumors are far from true, you-"

"I know that, you idiot," Arthur scoffed. "I'm not stupid. They just pissed me off, is all."

"I'll work on trying to improve my reputation," Francis chuckled, smiling softly. Arthur shook his head and pointedly sat down in his usual spot. Matthew just laughed, shaking his head. He turned to Gilbert.

"You should keep working on that handout," Matthew suggested. "I'll help you if you need it. It's review over something we learned last year, so I don't really need to look much at it."

"I could always help you if you need it," Francis suggested with a small smile. Arthur just rolled his eyes, flipping through a book mindlessly.

"How about we do something that's not French?" Gilbert suggested. "How about…say…German?"

"We've already gone through what I already had to study from," Matthew rolled his eyes. "I can look online, I guess, but you'd have to spend your time waiting studying French."

"But, Birdie!" Gilbert whined, leaning back on the couch. That was when Matthew saw Arthur take a particular interest in a passage in his book. He opened his mouth to ask him about it when Alfred waltzed into the room, whistling some tune he probably heard on the radio that morning.

"Yo, you found anything yet, Artie?" Alfred asked curiously.

"Be quiet," Arthur said hurriedly, not so much as glancing up. Matthew raised a brow. Arthur didn't even act this way when he found a possible spell to fix them in the past. Maybe this was a real lead. Gilbert seemed curious about it as well.

"Come on, dude, you could at least try to talk to me when I come in," Alfred sighed. "Where's the love?"

"Fine, please be quiet," Arthur scoffed, still not looking up. Gilbert leaned forward curiously as Francis attempted to read what he was going over.

"What, did you finally find something good?" Alfred smirked, beginning to walk over.

"I need to switch bodies with you right now," Arthur stood up suddenly, and without giving any more warning, kissed Alfred. Back in his normal body, Arthur swiftly stormed out of the room, leaving Alfred to stand in surprise.

"Wonder what he found," Gilbert mused, looking where he'd left.

"How come he…" Alfred muttered. "I mean, if this is about magic or whatever, couldn't he do it in my body?"

"It's something about an affinity for magic or some bullshit," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "You've got no affinity so he can't do his magic mumbo jumbo while he's in your body. He's gotta switch or some shit like that."

"I didn't know about that," Matthew muttered. It kind of made sense. It was rather interesting that it mattered what body he was in in order for him to actually use magic. It made Matthew wonder if he could use magic himself, if he understood any of the Latin.

"I can't help but wonder what has him so excited," Francis shook his head, looking over the book. He blinked, somewhat in surprise. "At the very least, there's a picture of a pot."

"No way," Gilbert smirked, swiftly standing and running over to look at what Francis was looking at. Matthew stood and looked curiously as well, Alfred looking beside him. "No way, he's gonna make a potion? He's more like a witch every time I see him!"

"Dude, that's gonna be so gross!" Alfred groaned. "Don't potions have, like, eye of newt in them or something?"

"Where would he get eye of newt?" Matthew asked bluntly. "We're in a high school."

"Can't he just make it appear out of nowhere?" Alfred shrugged. "Just accio eye of newt, right?"

"Can you really be that stupid?" Gilbert sighed. "From all the movies and shit I've seen, they have to go harvest that shit, you don't just make it appear. He'll probably put on his witch's hat and fly on his broom to where he can get that shit."

"I don't think you really understand," Francis shook his head. "If anything, he would be a wizard, no?"

"Are you all idiots?" Arthur scoffed from the doorway and all four teenagers looked at him curiously. He was holding a small box in his hands.

"Whoa, you already got the eye of newt?" Alfred asked in wonder and Arthur punched him in the stomach as he passed him, carefully putting the box down on the table.

"This isn't that kind of potion," Arthur sighed. "Most of them really aren't."

"Then what did you get, witch boy?" Gilbert asked curiously and Arthur glared at him.

"I went to a chemistry lab and asked for a few things," Arthur sighed. "Like sulfur."

Matthew looked into the box, finding that Arthur had gotten a burner, a glas container, as well as a few other ingredients. He couldn't help but wonder how Arthur had actually managed to get all of these ingredients, and so quickly, too.

"How come you had to switch with Alfred before leaving?" Gilbert asked curiously. "It doesn't take magic to get shit from a science lab, right?"

"No," Arthur smirked. "It does require magic to actually convince them to give me potentially dangerous chemicals without permission."

"You broke the rules," Gilbert smirked. "Awesome!"

"That's kinda impressive from a little nerd like you," Alfred laughed. "So, is this gonna put us all back to normal?"

"If all goes well, it should," Arthur nodded. "I don't know why I overlooked it so much until now, but I'm at a level to do it and it should permanently change us back. In theory."

"In theory?" Matthew asked.

"Nothing can be for sure," Arthur sighed. "But it's worth a shot."

* * *

Gilbert leaned forward curiously as he watched Arthur stir his…concoction. It smelled nasty and Arthur had to continuously use magic to wave away concerned teachers and janitors. He'd been working on this potion since lunch, letting it simmer through half of the day. The only time he'd left it since the end of the school day was when he had to kiss Alfred to make sure they stayed in their respective bodies. Gilbert, Francis, and Matthew watched him with interest as he constantly consulted his book and added another pinch of some ingredient that looked like a clover. Gilbert glanced at Matthew, who was in Gilbert's body for the time being so they could relax without worrying about switching back.

"That should be it, then…" Arthur mused after stirring the potion carefully. He took two of the paper cups he'd managed to get as well and carefully poured the now cool liquid into them. He'd taken it off the burner about half an hour ago.

"So, we're just supposed to drink it?" Gilbert asked, staring at the cup from where he sat rather than picking it up.

"Not…exactly," Arthur sighed. "The instructions for consumption are very…specific."

"Okay," Matthew said hesitantly. Gilbert looked closer at the liquid. It was a murky green color that kind of reminded him of swamp water. "What are they?"

"You both take a drink of what I filled in the cups," Arthur sighed, "but you don't swallow. Then…you two…have to move all of liquid to…one person's mouth…without breaking contact with your lips. Do it again, moving all the liquid to the other's mouth. Then have it back to half and half and swallow. You can only…pull back after you've both swallowed all of it."

"Are you fucking serious?" Gilbert dead-panned.

"I wouldn't say it if you didn't have to," Arthur scoffed. "Need I remind you that I have to do the same thing with Alfred if this works?"

"It doesn't seem…that hard," Matthew muttered.

"What kind of fucked up potion makes you do that kind of shit?" Gilbert grumbled, but he picked up his cup. "Whatever, Birdie, let's get this over with, huh?"

"I guess," Matthew muttered, blushing slightly as he picked up the drink. He bit his lip slightly before taking all of the liquid in the cup into his mouth. Gilbert sighed, doing the same. He couldn't help but be kind of nervous with the idea of doing this, but he let it pass. He leaned carefully towards Matthew and connected their lips.

They switched places automatically, as expected. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Gilbert continued, following the instructions. He hoped it didn't look as lewd as it felt and sounded, it was starting to make him blush. Eventually, finally, the two made it back to the point where the liquid was half and half and they swallowed in unison. Gilbert opened his eyes, not even realizing when he'd closed them, panting as they separated. Matthew was flushed as he blinked at him, panting as well.

"Goddamn," Gilbert muttered. The potion actually didn't have much of a flavor, so at least that was nice. "I guess we should test it, huh?"

"Right," Matthew nodded and Gilbert placed a quick peck on his lips. And there was no weird feeling. No looking into his own eyes as he pulled back. Gilbert couldn't stop the smile that spread onto his face as he still looked at Matthew's face after he kissed him. So he kissed him again. Matthew laughed slightly, pushing Gilbert away. "It worked."

"Hell yeah, it worked!" Gilbert smirked proudly. He looked at Arthur, who gave a sigh of relief, looking at the potion. "Good going, witch boy!"

"I'm not a witch," Arthur sighed. "But I'm very happy that everything can return to normal now."

"You two really knew how to do that rather well," Francis smirked from his seat and Matthew stiffened, blushing furiously. Gilbert felt himself blush as well. "I'm sure you've had plenty of practice."

"Fuck you," Gilbert smirked, shaking his head. "Now all that's left is to see Arthur and Alfred get to it."

"Don't remind me," Arthur shook his head, looking at the beaker and sighing. "I wonder if that idiot's even done with practice." He picked up the cylinder to carefully pick it up and begin pouring into two more cups.

"Dude, I got here as fast as I could, did it work yet?" Alfred nearly slammed the door to the room open, Ivan following him closely behind, looking into the room curiously.

"So far, it doesn't seem to have any side effects," Arthur sighed.

"So far?" Gilbert asked.

"Awesome!" Alfred smiled, all but tackling Arthur. Gilbert noticed that he was still practically in his uniform, only bothering to take off his jersey and pads on top. In the process when he tackled Arthur, the latter fumbled and dropped the beaker he'd been holding, as well as the only cup holding any liquid. Everyone in the room watched as it shattered and spilled onto the floor.

"You…you…" Arthur was practically shaking with anger. "You imbecile!"

"You had more of that, right?" Alfred asked dumbly. Arthur reached forward to choke him.

"Are you that dense?!" Arthur snapped. "Do you know how long that took? How much effort I put down?! You fucking idiot! That was our only way to change back!"

"Can't you just make another one?" Alfred asked, carefully prying Arthur off of him. Gilbert couldn't help but laugh slightly at the scene. At the very least, his own problem was solved, he could actually go home tonight, damn that would be amazing…

"Not today!" Arthur snapped, punching Alfred in the arm. "And it's a bloody Friday, which means I can't get to these damn supplies until Monday!"

"Oh," Alfred supplied dumbly.

"Idiot," Arthur grumbled to himself, glaring at the mess on the floor.

"So you two have switched back?" Ivan asked curiously, walking over to Gilbert and Matthew.

"Permanently," Gilbert nodded proudly. "No more pretending to be nice around you in public, jackass."

"I'm so happy," Ivan smiled and Gilbert shivered.

"It's a relief," Matthew sighed, pointedly looking at Gilbert, who just shrugged. "I can't wait to sleep in my own bed again."

"It's such a shame Alfred's so clumsy, or else the mess would have already been fixed," Ivan laughed slightly, looking to Alfred, who was apologizing as Arthur starting kicking him in the shins.

"Yeah, if he hadn't tripped in here the other day, he and Arthur wouldn't have even switched in the first place," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Your brother's a piece of work, Birdie."

"Tell me about it," Matthew nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so y'all know, I estimate that this is gonna end after four more chapters. We're really close now. Also, I'm so done with the idea of someone hearing rumors about their boyfriend or whatever and then actually getting mad at them over the rumors. Sure, it can be a good plot device and lead them to fights, but honestly those people need to be smarter. Arthur's intelligent enough to know that, hey, you should probably ask your boyfriend before you believe the words of strangers.
> 
> Anyway, they've switched back! At least, Matthew and Gilbert have. Alfred's just gonna go around messing up even more stuff as he goes along. It's kind of entertaining. It's fun having him act as a bumbling idiot, especially considering the story I'm going to write once this is over…
> 
> Anyway, I'm done for now! So I'll see you all next time!


	21. When You're On A Date

Chapter 21. When You're On A Date.

Arthur greatly disliked the idea of waking up in another person's body. Especially when it was Alfred's. He disliked how much Alfred's body sweated, how damn hungry he was when he woke up, and he hated jamming his bloody toes in the morning because he wasn't used to his body being so damn big! He hated all of it so much. If only that damn potion could have actually worked yesterday!

Arthur muttered to himself as he finally left Alfred's mess of a room. Honestly, he was scared to even try to clean up that mess. He blinked in surprise when he saw Matthew step out of the bathroom, a towel in one hand drying his hair, dirty clothes in the other. Matthew smiled politely at him.

"Did you sleep well?" Matthew asked, walking in the direction of his own room. That lucky bastard…he was able to finally go home…Meanwhile, Arthur was stuck…

"Fine," Arthur sighed. "And yours?"

"I can't say how happy I am to be in my own body," Matthew sighed. "Even after Ludwig figured out who I was, I still went on runs with him at, like, 4 AM. Getting to sleep in is like a dream."

"You do realize it's still fairly early?" Arthur asked. Last he checked, it was around 6:30 or so.

"I'll get back to sleeping until noon soon," Matthew smiled. "You should go ahead and shower, if you want. Our parents usually use all the hot water once they're awake."

"Right," Arthur sighed, glancing at the bathroom. A quick shower would be rather nice…He still didn't like the idea of being naked in someone else's body, but he could deal with the discomfort for the sake of being clean.

"You have that date with Francis later today, right?" Matthew asked curiously, and with a knowing smile. Arthur blushed slightly. The damn Frechman…blabbing about their…date… "Gilbert decided it was some kind of great idea so we're going on one as well. And I think Alfred was talking about how excited he was to go on some date with Ivan. So at least you're not alone."

"You are very reassuring," Arthur rolled his eyes. He quickly ducked into Alfred's room to pick some (hopefully) clean clothes before going to the bathroom.

"I'll make some pancakes for breakfast," Matthew offered with a smile. "Don't worry, I guarantee they're better than Gilbert's."

"Do you two eat anything other than pancakes?" Arthur scoffed.

"Sorry," Matthew laughed, but started heading downstairs anyway. Arthur just shook his head with a small smile. His friends were pretty odd, weren't they?

* * *

Alfred forced himself to stop fidgeting his fingers as he sat in his car, waiting for Ivan to come out of his damn house so they could start their damn date. He'd made sure to switch cars with Arthur before either of their dates. Mostly because Alfred trusted himself in his own car a lot more than with Arthur's. Automatics never worked very well for him, they didn't keep his attention and he spaced out a little too often. He loved having a manual car, it was like his baby. Granted, he didn't like being so short and having to adjust the seat, but he'd live.

Finally, Ivan walked out of his house, that stupid smile on his face. Alfred couldn't help but smile back. Okay, maybe it wasn't so bad…

"Took you long enough," Alfred said as Ivan opened the car door.

"You were late as well," Ivan smirked.

"By five minutes," Alfred scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Jackass."

"You still haven't told me what you're planning," Ivan said, amused.

"It's a surprise," Alfred muttered. He couldn't just admit that he came up with the lame plan of just going to a movie…Sure, he'd have to admit to it eventually, but he still had some time to act all mysterious and cool and stuff. And hopefully Ivan didn't think it was lame that they were just going to see a movie.

* * *

Arthur was not nervous, dammit! Nowhere close. He shook his head furiously where he stood at the door of Francis' house. He'd been given directions there and he was sure it was the right place…it was just that he was…okay, maybe a tad bit nervous. He'd never been on a date before, regardless if it was in someone else's home or not. Not to mention he wasn't even in his own body. Who knew what Francis would think if Arthur wasn't even in his own body or so long…

Finally he worked up the courage to ring the doorbell. It was less than a second before a very amused Francis opened the door.

"I was wondering how long it would take you," Francis smirked and Arthur blushed, glaring at him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Arthur scoffed. "I only just got here."

"You can say as many lies as you want," Francis winked, "but we both know how long you've really been here."

"Then why didn't you open the damn door?" Arthur grumbled, walking in beside Francis, who closed the door.

"I wanted to see how long it would take," Francis smirked once again before taking hold of Arthur's hand and leading him further into the house.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Arthur snapped immediately, but didn't try to take his hand back. Granted, it wouldn't take much strength in this body to get his hand back…

"I prepared dinner for us, remember?" Francis smiled. "No one else is home, so it will only be the two of us."

"Right," Arthur nodded as Francis happily lead him to a table in what appeared to be his dining room. The table was rather large, but he had placed two table settings at the head of the table and the chair to the right. He sat Arthur down at the head.

"Wait here, I'll go get it." Francis seemed practically giddy. Of course, Arthur had heard Francis talk about cooking and seen how animated he got then…but this was something else entirely. Arthur was curious what Francis could have made that made him so excited. Arthur waited patiently, smiling slightly at the thought of Francis coming back with that smile.

He came back humming, holding two plates in his hands. With the poise of an experienced waiter, he placed one of the plates on the placemat in front of Arthur, who stared at it in surprise. Francis placed a practically identical plate at his own setting before sitting down beside him. Arthur looked at the food for another moment before looking to Francis.

"How long did it take you to do this?" Arthur asked in awe.

"A few hours," Francis shrugged. "Though I did begin preparing the meat last night…"

The dish did look delicious, almost like it was made by a professional, like nothing Arthur had seen. Francis practically beamed he was so proud. He leaned forward, resting his arms flat on the table, apparently waiting for Arthur to try it first.

"You really didn't have to go this far just for me," Arthur muttered, biting his lip just slightly.

"I wanted to," Francis replied almost immediately and Arthur felt that damn blush again. "I even decided to take into account that you now have an athlete's body, so I made sure to portions were bigger." He was just so damn proud.

"Thank you," Arthur muttered shyly.

"And if you think this is good," Francis smirked. "We still have what I made for dessert."

"Good God, you're such a show off," Arthur rolled his eyes, but the smirk never fell from Francis' face. Arthur let out a small sigh and decided to try the meat first, easily cutting into it before taking a bite. It was…delicious. Amazing. It practically melted in his mouth but he had to remind himself to chew or he might just sit there all night with one piece of food in his mouth. He made sure to eat like the proper gentleman he was before he glanced at Francis, who simply watched him with apt interest.

Arthur made sure to swallow before speaking. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Of course," Francis smiled. "You are just so interesting to watch. I don't normally get to watch people enjoy my cooking this close. Usually, it's my teacher or someone I can't watch."

"As happy as I am that watching me pleases you," Arthur sighed. "You should eat as well. It is…very good."

"Who do you think test tasted it?" Francis smirked, but finally sat up straight to pick up his utensils. "Of course I know how good it is."

"You prideful bastard," Arthur scoffed, but continued eating anyway because, damn this food really was fantastic.

* * *

The movie had been a mistake. Like, a massive mistake.

Alfred had picked something that at least looked cool. He'd seen the previews and the poster looked cool. But damn was it boring in the theater. And it only took one glance at Ivan for him to figure out that he was just as fucking bored as him.

"This is bullshit," Alfred muttered to him during an 'action' scene where less people were likely to hear him. It was a Saturday night, so naturally the theater was packed, but they had a few seats between them and the nearest person, mostly due to Ivan's creepy aura.

Those three words were enough to spark a commentary between the two, both of them snickering as they gave the actors names based on how crappy their acting was. They were shushed at least 10 times, but Alfred stopped caring.

"Dude, we could totally make out and no one would notice," Alfred noted at one point.

"I believe that is what half of the theater is already doing," Ivan supplied. "What else would they be doing? Watching the movie?"

"You fuckin' jackass," Alfred laughed, but got shushed yet again. That just made him and Ivan laugh harder, but they stifled it.

All it took was a few lewd noises and Alfred playing the penis game alone for them to get kicked out of the theater. But it was only a matter of minutes later when they found their next target; a practically empty diner. Alfred had to basically drag Ivan inside.

The interior was like a classic diner from the 70s or something and brought a massive smile to Alfred's face. After ordering shakes and burgers, against Ivan's will, Alfred dragged him over to the jukebox sitting near the entrance.

"Holy shit, they've got great songs," Alfred laughed, flipping through the music selection to find the perfect song. The only other people were these two biker dudes in the corner, who were way too wrapped up in their own conversation to care about two teenagers. The waitresses just sort of giggled and allowed them to do what they wanted.

"I am not sure if I trust your music choice," Ivan shrugged simply. "After I've seen your movie choice."

"Okay, totally didn't expect it to be so lame, bro, I'm sorry," Alfred rolled his eyes. "That's not my fault. That director just fucking sucked, okay?"

"Da, whatever you say," Ivan nodded with a smirk and Alfred elbowed him, none too lightly either. Finally Alfred picked the perfect song, but they had to wait until the current one ended. He tapped his foot impatiently. He wanted to dance with Ivan, dammit!

Once it started, he let out a laugh. He hadn't heard any of these songs in forever! He took hold of Ivan's wrists, forcing him to dance with him. Ivan seemed surprised and didn't easily comply and Alfred just laughed.

"You're way too stiff," Alfred smirked. "You've gotta learn how to loosen up!" Alfred let go and started dancing on his own. "Like this, see?"

"You look ridiculous," Ivan said.

"No, you look ridiculous just standing there," Alfred laughed and a family walked in, a few kids trailing around them and going to their own seats. "If I knew you couldn't dance I never would've asked you out."

"Ah, so that is your deal breaker," Ivan laughed slightly and Alfred smirked.

"C'mon," Alfred sighed, holding onto Ivan's wrist again. "Dance with me."

"I am not very good," Ivan shook his head.

"Neither am I," Alfred snorted. "So whaddya say?"

A few minutes packed with clumsy steps and muttered curses later, their food finally arrived and Alfred all but dragged Ivan over to their booth. Oh, it was beautiful. He just wished that he had his usual appetite. Now that he was in Arthur's body, he probably couldn't even finish the damn burger.

"You are so small," Ivan laughed, once again making fun of Alfred's new size. "Your food looks like the size of your head."

"Shut up," Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Arthur can pack it in, he's just never tried."

"I am not going to nurse you when you over eat," Ivan said. "Not again."

"That was one time," Alfred whined. You eat too much during _one_ team dinner, resulting in Ivan having to take care of him, and you get branded for life! (In all honesty, Alfred didn't regret that dinner because that was when his crush on Ivan had actually developed.) "It's not like you don't eat too much."

"I eat the perfect amount," Ivan said simply.

"Whatever," Alfred snorted. He smirked after taking a bite of his burger. "Hey, Ivan."

"What?" Ivan asked, mindlessly eating his own fries.

"Penis."

"Alfred."

"Penis."

"Don't."

"Penis!"

"Alfred, I swear."

"You're just jealous because you're losing," Alfred smirked. "Penis!" People were starting to look now, but Alfred just continued like nothing was happening.

"I am not even a player," Ivan said.

"You too chicken to loose?" Alfred asked. "How about this? Loser pays for dinner. Penis!"

"Penis!"

The diner was a mistake, too.

* * *

Arthur chuckled as he sat back on Francis' couch, an empty plate on his lap from the cake Francis had made. He was completely stuffed, a feat considering Alfred's stomach, and Francis had decided to finish their date by watching a silent movie together. It certainly didn't help that they were providing their own lines for their respective actors.

"What on Earth makes you think that she would be a witch?" Arthur asked.

"Look at the way she smokes!" Francis said. He was leaning comfortably against Arthur's side, which was fine considering Arthur was actually taller for once. It actually felt kind of nice, but of course Arthur didn't mind it the other way around. "Have you noticed that she never has a lighter? She just has a lit cigarette every now and then."

"You don't need to show lighting a cigarette every time someone smokes," Arthur rolled his eyes. "Everyone knows you need to light a cigarette, you don't have to show it to everyone."

"Oui, but you watch the detective light a smoke every time," Francis shrugged and Arthur snorted.

"He's the main character," Arthur sighed. "Of course they're going to show you every time he smokes."

"Ah, the mermaid is back," Francis said happily as another woman returned to the movie. He was sure she was a mermaid due to how he had never seen her touch water.

In reality, they were just watching something about a peaceful family in a prairie or something, but that was irrelevant. As far as they knew, it was about a vampire, detective, witch, and a mermaid about to be abducted by aliens to save the world.

* * *

"You are absolutely ridiculous," Matthew giggled and Gilbert pulled him inside. He had no idea what to expect while on this date, but Gilbert said it was close and they just walked there, Gilbert leading the way. It was like a miracle to be back in their own bodies. Matthew could constantly see Gilbert relax in his own body, hear him laugh in his own body, see him like he was meant to be. Gilbert was still the same as he always was, however, and wasted no time in dragging Matthew into the arcade he'd picked out. It doubled as a bowling alley, apparently, and was fairly loud, but Gilbert went straight for the counter, telling Matthew to stand still. After just a few minutes, Gilbert came back flashing two cards with a proud smile.

"Here you are," Gilbert bowed dramatically, holding up Matthew's card for him.

"I could have paid for myself," Matthew rolled his eyes. He wondered how many games he and Gilbert could go through with these.

"Please, I've got this," Gilbert smirked.

"Then I pay for the food," Matthew smiled before going for the arcade, Gilbert following after him.

"What if I wanted to?" Gilbert asked.

"I never asked," Matthew laughed. The arcade was packed full of kids, teenagers, adults. All of them with hands full of hard won tickets. It was dark, a black light illuminating various shapes and pictures on the floor and the light from the games illuminating the faces of all of the players.

"Let's go find a shooter game first!" Gilbert cheered, dragging Matthew towards one of the closer games. It was one of those cheesy ones with the rifles where you had to fight back zombies.

"You're on," Matthew smirked. He didn't spend so much time playing video games with Alfred for nothing. They swiped their cards and picked up their guns. It was co-op, but Matthew was competitive. "Tell you what, Gil. Whoever gets the highest score on more games pays for food."

"You're on," Gilbert smirked as they watched the cut scene at the beginning of the game. "This ain't hockey, kid."

"You bet it's not," Matthew smiled. The game started and Matthew didn't hesitate to shoot everything he saw before Gilbert even had a chance to pull his trigger. "Try to keep up."

They played through a lot of games and Matthew won practically all of them. Shooting games, racing games, even dancing games. Gilbert won at air hockey and Guitar Hero, and a few others, but it was obvious that Matthew won. They even played a few that didn't give tickets, just for fun. By the time they ran out of games they could play with their cards, they had to practically juggle the amount of buckets they had full of tickets.

"You're way better than you let on," Gilbert laughed as they walked towards one of those machines that could take their tickets.

"You should see me play against Al," Matthew said proudly. "I kick his ass every time."

"Hey, let's put all of our tickets together," Gilbert nodded thoughtfully as they reached the machine. He started feeding the tickets in and Matthew laughed. He was just as excited as some little kid. He kept glancing excitedly to where they could redeem their tickets, where everything cost way too many tickets for what it was really worth. "We can get something together!"

"Sure," Matthew laughed. "What do you even want to get?"

"I've got my eye on that stuffed bear for you," Gilbert laughed and Matthew smiled, glancing over where the stuffed animals hung. There was a white bear that looked especially perfect for hugging. He blushed slightly.

"That's way too many tickets," Matthew shook his head.

"We've got plenty," Gilbert rolled his eyes. He wasn't even done with his collection of buckets, let alone Matthew's. "Hell, I'd settle for just some candy myself if that's all we've got left after it. The second I saw that thing, I knew I had to get it for you."

"Well, maybe I can afford it with how many tickets I got," Matthew smirked. "I'm not so sure about you."

"Hey, man," Gilbert shrugged, "I was just off today."

"Oh, really?" Matthew laughed. "So you're usually just bad, not terrible?"

"Is this about that damn motorcycle game?" Gilbert asked. "Because it wasn't my fault I crashed then, it was totally the NPCs, I swear!"

"You flew off the edge of the map!" Matthew laughed. "You're saying that bad of a failure wasn't your fault?"

"Yes!" Gilbert pouted. "I'm not that bad at that shit, jeez."

"I'll believe you when you can actually beat me," Matthew smirked.

A few minutes and some arguing later, Matthew was holding that stuffed bear and Gilbert was marveling over a Ring Pop while they sat at a table, a greasy pizza and tray of cheese fries between them.

"So, how happy were you to see Gilbird?" Matthew asked curiously, almost scared to get the grease on his new bear.

"You have no idea how much I missed the little guy," Gilbert groaned. "Did you miss your damn cat?"

"Of course I did," Matthew smiled. "Kumawari and I are pretty much inseparable now."

"You should've seen the dogs when I got home," Gilbert smirked. "They could totally tell you weren't me. And I went on a run with them this morning with Lud…" he sighed happily. "Everything is right with the world again."

"Yeah, thanks to that running habit you two have, I got up so early this morning," Matthew sighed. "I can't wait to start sleeping in again."

"Why would you waste your time like that?" Gilbert asked, going right for a slice of pizza. "You can get so much shit done in the mornings!"

"I get plenty of things done late at night," Matthew pointed out. "I'm perfectly fine wasting my morning. What's there to even do in the morning?"

"Enjoy the sunrise?" Gilbert smirked. "And enjoy the peace? No one's fucking up, so it's so relaxing."

"Why would you get up when no one else is going to be up?" Matthew raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like it would be so boring."

"Hey, to each his own," Gilbert shrugged.

"You are never going to make me a morning person," Matthew rolled his eyes.

"Oh, we'll see about that," Gilbert winked and Matthew blushed slightly, but moved towards the cheese fries regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that don't know, the "penis game" is where you go to a public place and start by saying the word 'penis' quietly and the next person has to say it louder and you continue until you're basically screaming it in public. Loser is the first person to stop escalating it.
> 
> Anyway! It took me forever but I got through date night. I had their dates planned, naturally, but goodness did it take a while for me to get everything written down the way I wanted to. Arthur and Alfred have just admitted to the fact that they're going to be stuck for the weekend and they're just rolling with it. Meanwhile, Matthew and Gilbert are thoroughly enjoying the fact that they're back to normal.
> 
> Also, a problem happened with Chapter 20, in that it didn't post. Whoopsies! I fixed it, for anyone that wanted to see it.
> 
> Anyway, that's all, so I'll see you all next time!


	22. When Your Friends Are Too Loud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That awkward moment when chapter 20 didn't post. I fixed it now, though, so read that if you haven't already.

Chapter 22. When Your Friends Are Too Loud.

Gilbert couldn't stop smiling. Not like he'd really tried to stop, but he was pretty sure he couldn't. Sitting on that cold, hard bench, surrounded by cold air but at the same time surrounded by people that were hot and sweaty…and watching people skate on the ice. Sure, it wasn't fun to play hockey, but he could definitely get used to watching it. Especially when he watched Matthew. He skated like an expert and he wasn't holding back like he usually did when teaching Gilbert how to play. He almost moved like a figure skater, but he was just a little too bulky for that.

He leaned forward in anticipation as he saw the other team get a little too close to Matthew's team's goal, but Matthew easily swept it away like it was no big deal.

"You're really into it," Elizabeta snickered beside him and Gilbert attempted to wave her away with his hand. Everyone from their little group had showed up. Once they learned that Matthew played hockey, no one really believed that someone like him could last very well on the ice. All it took was a minute of watching the game for them to realize just how wrong they were. "I think it's adorable that you're so into it for Matthew."

"Shut up, cow," Gilbert grumbled. "I'm trying to watch." It was getting close to the end of the game and Matthew's team was up by two points. Of course they were going to win, it would just be awesome if they could win by three points.

"I bet you're thinking about him all hot and sweaty," Elizabeta smirked, leaning just slightly closer. "I mean, you've seen his body after a game, right? Panting and exhausted…"

"What are you trying to accomplish?" Gilbert asked carefully, trying to ignore just what Elizabeta's words were doing do him.

"Just wanted your attention," Elizabeta chimed. "Now, I want to ask you some of the important questions."

"Can it wait?" Gilbert shook his head with a small laugh, but shifted to the edge of his seat when he saw Matthew's team was setting up to score another point. "Kinda busy."

"But I wanna know more about your relationship with Matthew," Elizabeta whined as Gilbert tried to follow the puck. It was just as hard from the stands as it was on the ice to find that damn thing. How did Matthew always seem to know where it was? "Like how that date last night went…?"

"It was awesome, can we move on now?" Gilbert sighed.

"But that's no fun!" Elizabeta whined. "You have to give me details! You always give me details about your dates," Elizabeta muttered.

"Later," Gilbert shook his head. Right now he had to focus on Matthew, who looked like he was actually going to be the one to make the shot. He leaned forward even more.

Matthew took his shot and the puck slammed into the coal, the goalie didn't even have a chance to try to block it. Gilbert immediately stood up to cheer, but Alfred easily blocked out any noise he made, even if he was in Arthur's body.

"Fuck yeah!" Alfred cheered. "That's my bro! Go Mattie!" Arthur buried his face in his hands. Gilbert smirked, staying standing. There were only a few seconds left in the game anyway. The buzzer finally sounded and they cheered again, the rest of their friends applauding and cheering that Matthew's team had won. Like that was any surprise, though. Gilbert didn't waste any time before he all but ran down the stairs of the stands to catch Matthew before he went to the locker room to change. They still had lunch to go to with all of their friends, too.

Luckily, Gilbert made it in time for Matthew to take off his helmet, laughing with some of his teammates about some joke they made.

"Oi! Birdie!" Gilbert smirked, shouting as Matthew made it onto solid ground again. Matthew smiled and waved at him as Gilbert made his way over.

"You could've waited, like five minutes," Matthew laughed, shaking his head. "Did you have fun?"

"Hell yeah, I did," Gilbert smirked. "You're so fucking great, way better than my shit show last week."

"Whatever, you were fine," Matthew smiled.

"Fine and fucking awesome are two very different things," Gilbert smiled. "We're gonna meet you at the entrance before we go to lunch, that sound cool?"

"Sure," Matthew smiled. "I'll see you in a few." He waved to him and Gilbert waved back as Matthew made his way to where the locker rooms were. He didn't even take of his skates, he just walked like normal in them. Damn…

Gilbert shook his head, making his way back over to their obnoxious group, where he was sure three different arguments had already sprouted at the same time.

* * *

It took a while for IHOP to get them a table for thirteen people, but once they sat down, everyone was collectively quiet as they all figured out what they were going to eat. It had been a long game and Gilbert was sure Matthew was going to be starving after playing a game like that.

But it was only a matter of time until everyone started talking again. It started with Lovino complaining about the fact that Ludwig was probably going to get potatoes. Eventually, it evolved into a conversation about various TV shows and movies, resulting in Arthur going on and on about Doctor Who and Harry Potter. Things definitely didn't even begin to cool down once everyone got their food.

"I knew you'd get potatoes, you bastard!" Lovino all but shouted once he saw Ludwig's plate.

"We're in a family restaurant, Lovi," Feliciano kindly reminded him and Lovino scoffed. "Besides, it's just hash browns. I got some, too."

"That's because he's infecting you," Lovino rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know we were a disease, Lud," Gilbert smirked from where he sat next to Matthew, who was quietly eating his own food, not engaging in any arguments. Gilbert had to admit, their friend group was pretty fun when everyone was together. Sure, when they were in small doses, that was also really fun, but a massive group like this? Only chaos could ensue and that was Gilbert's idea of a great time.

"What, does that meant I might get sick because of my food, dude?" Alfred asked, looking down at his own hash browns.

"All of you are fucking stupid," Lovino scoffed.

"Do you only hate Germans?" Elizabeta asked curiously. "Or are Austrians close enough?"

"Don't drag me into this," Roderich scoffed and Elizabeta smiled happily at him.

"How do you feel about Russians, I wonder?" Ivan asked curiously, that sickly sweet smile still on his face as always. Though…Gilbert had noticed that he'd had on an actually happy smile more often lately. Less fake than it used to be, at least. Maybe Alfred was a good influence on him…

"They're…fine," Lovino shrunk into his seat, avoiding eye contact with him. Gilbert snorted. At least there was one person that Lovino wouldn't blindly shout at.

"So, Gil, I have a question for you," Antonio chimed. He spoke a little quieter and leaned a little over the table in an attempt to keep their conversation 'quiet'. "How far have you gotten with Matthew?" Matthew jumped slightly and blushed beside Gilbert, who laughed slightly. Everyone continued with their own conversations, oblivious to what they were talking about.

"Well," Gilbert smirked. "I mean, I have seen him naked a few times."

"Gil!" Matthew hit him in the arm and Gilbert laughed.

"What? You've seen me naked, too," Gilbert smirked. "Do you even know how hard it was for me to get changed after I figured out how much I liked you?"

"Trust me, I know," Matthew muttered, going for a particularly large bite of his pancake. Gilbert just laughed even more.

"You still haven't answered my question, mi amigo," Antonio smirked and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Kinda a tough question to answer, all considering," Gilbert shrugged. "Going from when we actually switched back for real, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint. Maybe you'll get some more luck out of Francis."

"Don't count on it," Francis said simply, apparently having overheard their conversation. Arthur stopped his argument with Alfred when he heard Francis start speaking, glaring at the Frenchman sitting beside him.

"What are you lot talking about with smirks like that?" Arthur asked immediately.

"Nothing, mon cher," Francis hummed.

"Well, I was about to ask why, but I think I found out," Antonio snickered. "He's got you wrapped around his finger."

"Right?" Gilbert laughed and Francis raised an eyebrow. "You're so fucking whipped, man."

"Gil," Matthew nudged Gilbert with his elbow, but Gilbert just laughed him off. Arthur just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Alfred, who was more than happy to stuff his face as much as possible while continuing to talk.

"Do I even need to remind you about the way you act when Matthew isn't around?" Francis smirked and Antonio laughed. Matthew's interest piqued. "When you don't have to be as 'awesome' anymore."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Gilbert rolled his eyes. "You can shut up now."

"Oh, no, please continue," Matthew smirked. "I'd love to hear more about Gilbert."

"First, you should hear what he said when he found out you had a Spider-Man costume in your closet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hrghur….to be honest, my inspiration for this story is dying quite fast, but I'm determined to finish it. There's, like, two chapters left. I'm not leaving you guys hanging, don't worry. I'm just so obsessed with my next story idea, it's hard to focus on what I'm currently writing. Oh, well, that will not stop me from finishing this, especially since the ending is already planned, yo. Just…I dunno, the chapters may not be as long as they used to be, who knows. I'll try to write as much as I can.
> 
> I'll see you all next time!


	23. When You Kiss Around Others

Chapter 23. When You Kiss Around Others.

It was lunch. The potion was simmering. They had to wait. There was really nothing else to do. Arthur glanced at the beaker and burner on the table just to make sure that nothing bad was happening. He was in Alfred's body for the sake of convenience and he still couldn't quite get used to it. He kept bumping into things, using too much strength because he didn't even know he had strength. He didn't like it. Francis had managed to convince him to sit on the floor with him while the potion simmered. Francis was happily humming, leaning against Arthur, reading through some book. Arthur was reading through some spells to see if there was something he could try once all of this was over. Now that he knew how much magic he could actually use, he was pretty confident in what he could do.

They were in one corner of the room while another couple that took refuge in the clubroom was in another. Alfred had apparently stayed up rather late studying for a test that Arthur had already had to swap with him for. He hadn't even gotten food before Ivan managed to convince him to sleep. Ivan fell asleep shortly afterwards. Ivan seemed to take full advantage of the fact that Alfred was no longer evenly matched in height and build anymore, practically cuddling him like a little teddy bear. Arthur had never quite noticed how small he was in comparison until that moment.

Two others were sleeping, though they were lucky enough to get there early enough to claim the couch. Gilbert and Matthew happily took a small nap cuddling with each other, Gilbert holding Matthew to prevent him from falling off the couch. Matthew was still tired from how hard he played in his hockey game and lord knew Gilbert loved to slack off whenever he could. It was peaceful and quiet, though, so Arthur wasn't about to complain.

The only sounds in the room were the turning of pages, the potion faintly bubbling, and shallow breaths of sleeping teens.

It was very relaxing. The door was shut tight from the rest of the world and it almost felt like they weren't even in school.

The door opened and Arthur looked up, the rest hardly even stirred. He saw Elizabeta peek her head in curiously and Arthur raised a brow. As Elizabeta took stock of the room, the smile on her face grew and she was practically shaking, she seemed so happy.

"Please stay quiet," Arthur said, his voice just above a whisper. He didn't want chaos right then, he couldn't risk the damn potion a second time.

"Mkay," Elizabeta hummed, walking into the room and silently shutting the door behind her. "I was looking for Gilbert since no one had seen him yet during lunch."

"He's usually in here with Matthew," Arthur said simply, glancing down at his book again. Perhaps if he showed no interest, she would go away…then again, her company wasn't exactly unwanted. "Anything else?"

"Just wondering about this potion I've heard about," Elizabeta hummed, taking a closer look at the beaker. "It really works?"

"They haven't changed back yet," Arthur said, glancing at Matthew and Gilbert, who weren't even stirring anymore.

"I am curious about what it tastes like," Francis mused and Arthur scoffed. "Not to mention, how you have to drink it will most likely make me feel slightly jealous…"

"Sod off, it's not like I actually want to do it," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"What do you have to do?" Elizabeta asked with a small smirk.

"That's not important," Arthur blushed slightly, looking down at his book but not reading the words. He'd put off thinking about doing that with Alfred, if he was going to be honest. He really didn't want to deal with even explaining it to Alfred, but he would have to eventually. If it was the only realistic way for them to get back to normal, it would be worth it…

"What do you have to do?" Elizabeta asked again, leaning closer this time. She was interested, of course.

"Nothing important," Arthur said pointedly. "Do you have anything else to ask?"

"Can I stop by later today to see how it works?" Elizabeta asked curiously.

"Sure," Arthur sighed and Elizabeta happily turned on her heel.

"Thanks," Elizabeta smiled. "Good luck."

Arthur nodded to her as she left and left out a heavy sigh.

"Why are all of Gilbert's friends so odd?" Arthur asked, shaking his head.

"I'm sure he would deem them awesome," Francis chuckled and began absently running his hand through the hair on the back of Arthur's head, gently brushing through the locks. Arthur hummed contently.

"All of you are rather strange," Arthur muttered. "Not to mention who Matthew's brought in here."

"I know you enjoy the company," Francis chuckled and Arthur rolled his eyes again. "Otherwise you would have kicked us out long ago."

"Perhaps," Arthur smirked. "Maybe this was all just a ploy for the teacher who gave me this room to think that there is actually more than just one person in this club."

"I would hate for your precious club to be taken away due to lack of interest," Francis said. "I'm happy to be a part of your ploy." He placed a small kiss on Arthur's temple, sweet and quick. Arthur blushed furiously.

"I'm glad," Arthur muttered.

The bell rang far too early that day.

* * *

"Wait, we have to do what?" Alfred nearly squeaked from where he stood. At Arthur's request, he had taken a shower after practice and met back at the clubroom. Gilbert and Matthew had stayed out of curiosity and the need of a ride. Elizabeta managed to convince Roderich to come as well and Francis wasn't about to leave Arthur's side when he didn't have to.

"You heard me," Arthur blushed, looking at the ground. Arthur was in Alfred's body now and vice versa. It was still amusing to Gilbert to see the contrast between them. He wondered if the feeling ever wore off for anyone else. Arthur had actually whispered the instructions to Alfred, apparently too embarrassed with so many people watching.

"We had to do it, too," Gilbert laughed. "Just be a man and do it."

"In front of everyone?" now it was Alfred's turn to blush.

"I don't see the point in wasting time in going in private," Arthur sighed. "It won't take long, just a few seconds, and we don't have to worry about this again."

"Fine," Alfred sighed, holding out his hand. "Gimme that cup, ya jackass."

Arthur rolled his eyes and handed Alfred the cup, obviously looking nervous. He picked up his own cup and nodded to Alfred before drinking all of it at once, but he didn't swallow. Gilbert leaned forward, slightly curious about how he and Mattie looked doing it. It only made it funnier that the two didn't even like each other.

Alfred moved the liquid to Arthur's mouth first and Gilbert raised a brow as he watched curiously. Some of it fell, but most of it stayed between them. It was actually…fairly erotic. Gilbert glanced at Francis, who was actually looking away for the time being, and Ivan, who refused to look away, almost seeming slightly angry. So they did have their limits when it came to their approval of kissing.

Finally, the two swallowed and opened their eyes, panting.

"Good, we're done," Arthur immediately pushed Alfred away, they were in their rightful bodies now. Alfred didn't even resist, stumbling backwards, towards Ivan. Both of them wiped their mouths simultaneously and Arthur shuddered slightly.

"Huh," Gilbert shrugged, glancing at Matthew, who was blinking in surprise. "Guess we looked like that, huh Birdie?"

"Oh, God, we're never doing this again," Matthew hid his burning face in his hands and Gilbert laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and glancing at Alfred and Ivan first. Ivan had actually made sure to kiss Alfred and seemed to be unwilling to release his hand, despite Alfred's protests.

"I said you can fucking let go," Alfred whined, trying to pull his hand away. Ivan just patted his head and smiled. Gilbert couldn't help but laugh. Alfred glared at him. Gilbert glanced over to Francis and Arthur.

Arthur still seemed kind of flustered while Francis just laughed off the jealousy they both knew he had experienced. If Gilbert had seen anyone do that with Matthew, he'd probably get pretty jealous, too.

Gilbert could ignore Elizabeta as she tried to stop a nosebleed with Roderich concerned over her physical well-being.

"Well, now that everything's taken care of," Gilbert stretched happily, "what now?"

"Dude, I just wanna go home to my own freaking bed," Alfred groaned. "Arthur's room is way too uptight and there's nowhere to play video games. Just let me go home!"

"I could say the same about you and your horrid room," Arthur scoffed. "I don't know how you manage to sleep in such a pigsty."

"Whatever, let's just sleep it off, put all of this behind us, kay?" Alfred sighed.

"I wouldn't mind heading home and getting some rest," Matthew smiled. "Can we drop off Gil first?"

"Can't he walk home?" Alfred whined.

"Hey, I'm tired, too," Gilbert shrugged.

"But I just got back from practice and I'm sore and tired," Alfred pouted.

"We all know you're just going to go home and play games, not sleep," Matthew laughed. "Let's go, alright?"

"Would you like a ride, mon lapin?" Francis asked Arthur curiously as Matthew stood up, taking his bag with him and Gilbert followed after him.

"I don't need anything from you," Arthur scoffed and Francis just nodded, taking that as a yes.

"Thanks for the ride," Gilbert smirked, kissing Matthew's cheek quickly before all of them filed out of the room, Arthur closing the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so Alfred and Arthur are back, with that inevitable jealously with Francis and Ivan. I mean, erotic kisses with people that aren't your boyfriend generally don't go well, even if the two kissing have zero interest in each other. So all of the problems have been resolved. All that's left is the prologue, which'll have a little bit of Arthur, but mostly PruCan. So look forward to it. Almost done.
> 
> I'll see you all in the last chapter!


	24. When The Story Is Over

Chapter 24. When The Story Is Over.

Arthur was running late. His alarm hadn't gone off and he was more than comfortable in his own bed that he didn't want to move. But that resulted in a rushed morning that involved him practically running out the door with no breakfast, breaking speed limits on his way, and all but running through the halls to make sure he got to his locker in time. He still had about five minutes before school started, thank God.

He let out a sigh as he stopped in front of his locker. Francis was there, as usual lately, with a curious look on his face.

"I slept in," Arthur muttered as an explanation, forcefully ripping open his locker in the process. Francis just chuckled.

"You don't need to be so worried," Francis chuckled. "That text you sent me sounded so panicked."

"I don't sleep in," Arthur sighed, quickly moving things from his locker to his backpack and vice versa. He also had some books to leave at the clubroom before class started. He pulled out a spell book from his backpack and stared at it for a short while. The club…right.

Now that everything had calmed down and everyone was back in their rightful bodies…there wasn't anything to keep everyone at the club, was there? There wasn't any reason for any of the interesting people in his life to go to that windowless room and do nothing, was there? Arthur frowned, continuing to look at the book. Francis would most likely stay around, all considering. But everyone else? They had no reason to be there.

"Are you alright?" Francis asked and Arthur just nodded, standing up and closing the locker.

"I have to bring this back to the clubroom," Arthur said, looking at the book before he started walking towards the club. Everyone else had their own lives to attend to, their own friends. Now that the show was over…they could just leave… Arthur hadn't realized how much he really appreciated all of his friends until the moment he'd realized they would soon vanish.

"If you walk so slowly, you'll miss everyone," Francis hummed, walking ahead of him slightly. Arthur raised an eyebrow, but followed after him.

The door to the clubroom was wide open and Arthur could hear the loud voices from inside and see that it was as packed as it came to be sometimes. He managed to find his way in, going between Lovino and Feliciano at the entrance. Everyone was there, just hanging out as they normally did. Gilbert was talking with Elizabeta, Roderich, and Ludwig with Matthew under his arm. Alfred and Ivan bickered in their own corner. Antonio, Lovino, and Feliciano were talking about something to do with cooking. It was…nice.

Arthur smiled, walking over to his bookcase and replacing the book where it had been.

"What has you so happy all of a sudden?" Francis asked. The bell rang above them and everyone started moving.

"Oh, it's nothing," Arthur hummed. He kissed Francis on the cheek before rushing out the door to get to his first class.

* * *

"What surprise do you have on top of the school?" Matthew asked bluntly as Gilbert lead him up the stairs that lead to the roof of the school. Naturally, this was against the rules, but that had never stopped Gilbert before. Matthew just went along with it. Thankfully Gilbert hadn't blindfolded him like he wanted to because the stairs were steep.

"It's a secret," Gilbert smirked as they continued. It was rather dark in the stairwell, too. But Gilbert's hand securing holding onto Matthew's kept him going, up the stairs. Finally, they reached a door that Gilbert opened happily. It was a little windy, but there was fair weather that day, if not a bit chilly. Matthew followed Gilbert as he looked out at the empty parking lot. It was a little past the end of the school day, after everyone had left. Francis and Arthur needed a little space to themselves so Gilbert was more than happy to go ahead with his "surprise" that he had planned out. "Ta-da!" Gilbert cheered and Matthew looked over to where he was gesturing.

It was a blanket, held down by rocks to make sure it didn't blow away. And a basket.

"We're having a rooftop picnic at school?" Matthew asked bluntly, laughing when he saw Gilbert's grin fall.

"What? It's romantic!" Gilbert crossed his arms over his chest. "You're just too stuffy and buried in your ways!"

"Yes, that's it," Matthew snorted, but sat down with Gilbert regardless. He peeked into the basket. First he saw the rather large stone keeping the basket in place. At least Gilbert was smart enough to think about that. And then there was a plate with plastic covering cloaked with steam. Matthew picked it up, feeling how it was still warm. He took off the wrapping to find that it was a plate full of pancakes. "Are you serious?" he looked up at Gilbert, who nodded proudly.

"During lunch, when I said I had to go talk to a teacher, I was with Francis in the kitchens here," Gilbert said happily. "Worked my ass off to make those damn pancakes."

Matthew smiled as he dug out a jug of syrup as well as utensils and another plate from the basket.

"You're ridiculous," Matthew smiled, leaning forward to give Gilbert a quick peck on the lips. He never got tired of the feeling of staying in his own body while kissing him.

"Just wait for the surprise after you're finished," Gilbert winked before he started splitting up the pancakes onto two plates before pouring syrup for them. Matthew, of course, had to add a little more onto his. What were pancakes without the proper amount of syrup?

A few sticky kisses later, Matthew was leaning against Gilbert, watching the clouds travel across the otherwise clear sky, enjoying the light breezes whipping past them.

"You ready for the other surprise?" Gilbert asked, sounding as if he knew what Matthew was going to respond with. Of course, Matthew was curious…

"Sure," Matthew said and Gilbert had them both sit up, facing each other.

"I've been talking with Arthur and practicing, so here goes nothing," Gilbert shrugged. He held out his hand and closed his eyes in concentration. He muttered something in a language Matthew didn't understand. And then a flower appeared in his hand. More specifically, it was a carnation. A white one.

"Did you just use magic?" Matthew asked curiously. Gilbert opened his eyes with a proud smirk and a happy nod.

"Artie said I've got a little in me, looks like he's right, huh?" Gilbert smirked. Matthew smiled and took the flower. It was really pretty, but he had to wonder where it came from…

"It's pretty," Matthew said.

"I did a little research on flowers and shit, as cheesy as it is," Gilbert offered with a bright smile, like a kid who'd just learned something new and wanted to tell everyone. Matthew nodded for him to continue. "A carnation alone symbolizes pride and beauty, which we've both got enough of that to go around. They also have a lot to do with fascination and, let's be honest," Gilbert leaned forward and tucked a strand of hair behind Matthew's ear. Matthew couldn't help but blush, "you're the most fascinating person I know. But a white one specifically symbolizes pure love. None of that bullshit about just adoration or desire or lust. Just…love."

"I have to admit," Matthew laughed slightly, the blush refusing to leave his face as he looked down at the white flower that seemed to match Gilbert's hair, "you can be pretty smooth when you want to be."

"Hey, I'm awesome, of course I can be," Gilbert smirked. Since moving Matthew's hair, he'd been leaning closer, their faces just inches apart.

"I think it's beautiful, thank you," Matthew smiled, leaning forward to kiss Gilbert once again, this time deeper, stronger. Matthew carefully set the flower aside as he mimicked Gilbert's hands, holding onto Gilbert's head, pulling him closer, threading through his hair. Matthew was…breathless, but he didn't want to move away, he just wanted to breathe in Gilbert. Gilbert smiled, laughing slightly and Matthew followed after.

They rested their foreheads against each other as they pulled away, panting for breath.

"I'm really happy I kissed you the first day we met," Gilbert smirked and Matthew rolled his eyes.

"You're ridiculous."

"Yup," Gilbert said, kissing the tip of Matthew's nose lightly. "And you love it.'

"Maybe," Matthew giggled slightly.

They both jumped as they heard what sounded somewhat like an explosion below them and Matthew and Gilbert separated just slightly, looking down before looking at each other again.

"How much do you wanna bet that was Arthur messing something else up?" Gilbert asked.

"I'd say it's a safe bet," Matthew laughed. "Let's go make sure he didn't kill Francis or something."

Gilbert laughed as they stood up and Matthew smiled, looking down at his flower before picking it up to take with him He'd hate for it to be blown away, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I started with Arthur because I had some loose ends with him involving that whole friendship arc I had him go through. Which is done now. But, yeah, I had to finish up his little story about becoming social because important. Aside from that, the PruCan fluff! I did some hefty research on flowers, at first I was gonna go for tulips, but that's so not Gilbert's style, they just don't have enough awesome factor. A carnation is pretty sick, though. 
> 
> Anyway, this is it, it's all over! No more! I liked this story, I just wanted to finish it really badly because I got another story in my head that evolved really fast, and I'm going to start working on ASAP.
> 
> Here's a little preview to it, it's going to be RusAme and it's going to be called "When Night Falls"-  
> They're called demons, those creatures in the back alleys, under your bed, in your mind. Born of ill wishes clawing for power, the humans have no way to fight them without mass casualties. The only hope is half-demons, born between demons and humans, who can fight against the darkest wishes of humanity.  
> Alfred is an exceptionally powerful half-demon, hell bent on erasing his past and desperate for a bright future. Ivan is a Hunter with an intense hatred for anything related to the demons and willing to kill anything to achieve his goal. When they are forced to work together, it can only end one way.
> 
> Twill be RusAme/AmeRus and incredibly dark with a lot of dark themes. I'm super stoked.
> 
> Anyway, that's all from me for now, so I must bid you all farewell!
> 
> I do not own Hetalia.

**Author's Note:**

> And I’m gonna leave it like that because it’s fun! Ta-da! New fic, everybody. I'm brand new on this site, but I've been on FanFiction.net for a while and I'm way too lazy to post all 56 works from there on here. If you want to see my old stuff, go over there under the same penname. Regardless, I'll be posting there and here at the same time.  
> Anyway, I just graduated high school and what do I decide to do? Write a high school fic…Whatever, it’ll be fun, regardless. So this story was lightly inspired by Yamada-kun And The Seven Witches, a great anime and manga I recommend to all of you. It’s not going to follow that plot, at all, so don’t worry. But I’m pretty excited for this plot, not gonna lie.  
> Anyway, pairings for this story include PruCan as the main, obviously, RusAme and FrUK playing major rolls as well. GerIta’s gonna be in the background, as well as AusHun, but they’re not extremely obvious or anything.  
> Anyway, that’s all I’ve got here, so please review. It’s very nice, tell me what you think of this fic so far and I’ll see you all soon.  
> And I do not and never will own Hetalia or anything associated with it. Thanks.


End file.
